


Heart Without a Home

by heartsmadeofbooks



Category: Glee
Genre: Angst, Blangst, Broadway star!Kurt, Drama, Homeless!blaine, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:21:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 42,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29180931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsmadeofbooks/pseuds/heartsmadeofbooks
Summary: Kurt Hummel is just another Broadway star and fashion icon who doesn't care about anything around him. But on a cold winter night, he stumbles upon a man who makes him realize his perfect life isn't so perfect, after all.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson & Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel
Comments: 10
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!  
> Today I would like to share with you a fic I wrote at the end of 2012, beginning of 2013. Homeless!Blaine was a popular trope back then, much like badboy!Blaine and a few others (apparently in this fandom we all love BLANGST, hell yes). So I jumped on the train with my own take on it, and here's the result.  
> This fic was also published as a paperback back in the day for the Box Scene Project, the charity that raised money for some pretty amazing causes and got us the beloved Christmas promise ring scene that was cut from season 3. It's a fic that's brought me a lot of joy, so I hope you will enjoy it, whether you've read it before or not :)

Kurt Hummel always walks with his head up, because he's _Kurt Hummel_ , Broadway star and fashion icon. He simply assumes nothing will get in his way, so he doesn't bother watching where he steps. Normally, his feet (never wearing anything but the most expensive designer shoes) are only in touch with the New York sidewalks for a brief moment before he's getting into his BMW, or his limo, if he's going to some event. But, no matter what, Kurt Hummel always walks with his head up.

Except for that night.

He had just climbed out of his car and was rushing towards his apartment building when he nearly tripped. For a moment, he thought the cause for his near fall had been the thick snow and the icy edges of the sidewalk, but then he noticed someone was sitting between the steps that led to the front glass doors and a big pot with a miniature tree in it. The man (because it was a man), was wrapped up in a ragged black coat. His head was covered with a multi-color beanie and he had his face hidden against his knees, that were pulled up to his chest.

Honestly, for a moment Kurt thought the guy was dead.

He didn't know why he stood there staring instead of continuing on his way. There were lots of homeless people in New York and Kurt knew he couldn't stop for everyone. So he didn't. He would, every now and then, drop a few bucks into someone's hat or guitar case, but they usually didn't make him stop and really think about them. He couldn't explain why this time his stomach had twisted in astrange way that he had never felt before…

"Why are you staring at me?" A quiet voice said and Kurt started at the sound of it. He realized a pair of bright hazel eyes were looking back at him, peering from between the beanie and the coat.

"I-I'm sorry," Kurt murmured, uncomfortable, but _still not moving_. "I didn't mean to stare."

The guy blinked at him, slowly, as if he was too tired to care. "I won't stay at your pretty building entrance forever, I swear. I just want to get warm for a bit."

"I…" Kurt cleared his throat. "I think there's a shelter? A few streets from here?"

"It's full," the man answered dully. "It always is when it's as cold as it is tonight."

Kurt stood there, still looking at him, and the man fidgeted. After a couple of seconds, he started standing up with difficulty, his muscles evidently stiffened with cold.

"Fine, fine. I'll leave."

"I-I didn't mean to…" Kurt started, but the other cut him off.

"Yeah, of course you didn't mean to," he said roughly. Now that he was standing, Kurt could see he was a few inches shorter than him and his face was covered with stubble. The coat looked even thinner now that he was on his feet. "Everyone always acts as if people like me were a plague. I'm sorry that my misfortune is ruining your day. It wasn't my intention to taint your little piece of paradise with my dirty presence…"

"No, please…" Kurt said, mortified. He looked around, but there weren't many people in the streets. Not at this time of night, not with the bitter cold.

"I'll stop discomforting you now," the man mumbled, bitterly, turning around to leave. His shoes didn't match. One was an old white Nike and the other was a black rain boot. "Have a good night."

Kurt bit his lip. He didn't know what he was doing. He couldn't explain the weird feeling setting inside of him, pushing its way up to his mouth until the words escaped, shocking him and the stranger at the same time. "Wait!" His heart was beating wildly. _What was he doing?_ "You don't have to go."

The man blinked at him, confused.

"You… I…" Kurt tightened his own coat around himself. It really was freezing. "I have an extra room."

_Oh my gosh, what are you doing? He could kill you in your sleep and rob your apartment. You can't just let this guy spend the night…_

_He could die. It's so cold. There's nowhere he can go…_

_There's lots of people like him. You can't shelter all of them in your apartment._

_No, but even one makes a difference anyway._

_I've lost my mind._

"You're… what?" The man seemed even more confused.

"You can stay," Kurt said, more firmly. "With me. In my guest room. Tonight."

A hesitant, amused smile appeared on the man's face, but there wasn't any real humor behind it. "You're kidding, right?"

Kurt straightened up. "No, I'm not."

The smile disappeared and he frowned. "Why would you do that?"

Kurt started losing his patience. He really wasn't used to answering questions. At least not since he had stopped living with his father. "Look, I'm offering you a place to stay for the night. Will you accept my help or do you prefer to stay here in the cold and freeze to death?"

The hazel eyes were full or uncertainty and Kurt realized that under that angry, frustrated exterior, the man was vulnerable. Maybe he wasn't used to being offered help. Maybe he was used to have the world turn its back to him.

It seemed pretty obvious.

"Are you sure?" The man asked, taking a step towards Kurt, slowly.

"Yes," Kurt said, sounding more convinced than he actually was. "I'm going inside. You can follow or you can stay out here. Your choice."

Kurt walked to the front door. Part of him was hoping he had somehow scared the other guy away, but the other was silently begging him to follow him into the building…

The doorman rushed to open the door for Kurt as soon as he saw him approach. "Good evening, Mr. Hummel."

"Good evening," he said in return.

"Out! You can't come in here!" The doorman exclaimed then and Kurt turned around to see him trying to close the door in the other man's face, who looked terribly embarrassed as he took a step back.

"He's with me," Kurt muttered.

"With… you? I'm afraid I don't understand, Mr. Hummel," The doorman frowned at him and stared at Kurt as if he had lost his mind.

And maybe he had…

"This gentleman is my guest," Kurt answered.

Reluctantly, the doorman let the stranger in and followed him and Kurt with his gaze as they walked towards the elevators.

The guy was rubbing his hands up and down his coat, as if he was trying to clean it up a bit. Kurt could see a slight blush hidding under his stubble.

They entered the elevator and for once in his life, Kurt was grateful for the annoying music constantly playing on the speakers. He punched the number 20 on the panel next to the doors and waited as they were taken to the highest floor.

"I'm Blaine, by the way," the other man said and Kurt looked up at him.

"Kurt," he smiled slightly. This was even more uncomfortable than he had expected.

The elevator opened with a soft _ding_ and they both exited. Kurt's apartment was warm and beautifully illuminated and Blaine's eyes went big when he noticed how huge the place really was. It was mostly decorated in white, with splashes of red here and there, in throw pillows on the couch or portraits with family pictures. One of the walls was entirely a window that showed the skyline of New York as if it were an enormous piece of art, and maybe it was. It sure looked a lot more beautiful to Blaine from inside in the warmth.

Blaine felt uncomfortably out of place there as he fidgeted with a loose thread on his coat. He felt that he was dirtying the place just by standing there. It had been such a bad idea to come up to this guy's house…

"So, uhm," Kurt took his warm cashmere designer coat off and hung it in a closet by the door. It was already full of coats of multiple colors and styles and Blaine wondered what it'd feel like to have so many warm beautiful clothes at his disposal. "Have you eaten anything recently?"

Blaine shook his head, shyly.

"Okay," Kurt started walking across the living room and entered the next room. It was a huge, beautiful kitchen full of shiny appliances. "I'm sure there's something here we can have for dinner…"

Blaine's eyes went even wider when Kurt opened the fridge. He wasn't sure he had ever seen that amount of food before. He wasn't even sure he knew what half of that stuff was…

"Oh, I know! I'm in the mood for some chicken marinara. What about you?" He turned back to Blaine with a questioning glance.

"I… sure, yes," Blaine replied, still looking around like he was looking for the quickest way out of there.

Kurt eyed his dirty clothes for a moment. "Would you like to take a shower while I get dinner ready?"

A shower. The word tasted like nectar in his mouth.

"I'd actually love that," he smiled hesitantly.

"Follow me, then," Kurt walked out of the kitchen after nudging the fridge closed again. They walked down a long hallway. There were so many doors that Blaine wasn't sure he would remember where they were going. How was this an _apartment_? It felt like a mansion.

"Your house is amazing," Blaine whispered in admiration.

"Thank you," Kurt answered in a tone that seemed almost bored, as if he was used to receiving compliments for everything. "This is the guest room," he added, pushing a door at the end of the hall opened. "It has its own bathroom. There's a closet in there with clean towels and everything you could need." He opened another door, which turned out to be a small walk-in closet. "My brother left some clothes here when he visited last time, I'm sure… oh, here they are!"

He handed a pair of jeans and a hoodie to Blaine. They looked gigantic.

Kurt stood there awkwardly for a minute. "Well… take your time. I'll be in the kitchen. Come and join me when you're done."

Kurt left the room quickly, closing the door behind him. He made sure to be all the way back in the kitchen before he exhaled loudly, leaning against the counter.

"There's a strange man getting naked in your guest room," Kurt muttered to himself. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Kurt was never impulsive. Not when it came to things like this, at least. Maybe when he was on stage, maybe when he was in front of the cameras… but not with strangers he found sleeping on his doorstep. Never.

This could only end badly.

He decided to start working on dinner to keep himself busy. He had just put the chicken in the oven when he heard steps that indicated Blaine was out of the bedroom.

When Kurt turned around, he had to put a hand on his mouth to stiffle his laugh. Blaine looked ridiculous in Finn's clothes. The hoodie hung from his shoulders and it was so long it looked like a dress. He'd had to roll up the pants several times so he wouldn't step on them.

"Uhm," Blaine mumbled, looking down at himself. "I think your brother's a lot bigger than me."

"Clearly," Kurt chuckled. Then he cleared his throat and took his attention back to dinner. "This will be ready in ten minutes. Can I offer you something to drink?"

"Some water's fine," Blaine said as he stood awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen.

"Take a seat," Kurt said, pointing at the stools around the breakfast bar. Blaine obliged. Kurt put a bottle of water in front of him and Blaine started drinking eagerly. Kurt forced himself to stop looking at the way his throat moved when he swallowed. "I hope you like chicken. I can make a salad if you…"

"Why are you doing this?" Blaine asked suddenly, fixing him with a serious gaze.

Kurt frowned. "Well, I haven't had dinner, either, so…"

"No," Blaine shook his head. "This. Inviting me into your house."

"I… don't know," Kurt admitted, leaning against the counter and deciding to be honest. He rubbed his temples, exhausted. It had been a long day. "It's really cold outside. No one should be out there all night in this weather."

"You'd be surprised by the number of people out there right now," Blaine said sadly as he let his eyes wander to the nearest window, staring at the outline of the city and its lights.

Kurt didn't know what to answer to that.

"Thank you," Blaine smiled, but it wasn't a smile that reached his eyes, not really. "You could've walked right past me, but you didn't. Thank you."

Kurt felt himself relaxing a bit. Just because the guy was homeless didn't mean he was an ignorant, dishonest beast. Maybe he wasn't going to get robbed and killed, afterall.

When the food was done, they ate mostly in silence, sitting at opposite sides of the breakfast bar. It was obvious Blaine was starving. He tried to eat as delicately as possible, but he kept shoving chicken and bread and salad into his mouth like there would be no tomorrow. Kurt wondered briefly when was the last time the poor guy had eaten properly.

Blaine caught him staring as he paused to grab his water again and his face reddened. He reached for his napkin instead and wiped his mouth clean. "I'm sorry. My manners are a little… rusty."

"It's fine," Kurt said gently. He tried to focus on his own food, but he had lost his appetite. He felt like he had to try to make some conversation, but… what could he ask Blaine? _How did you end up living on the streets? What do you do all day?_ No. Anything he could think of to ask was plain rude.

"So, uhm…" Blaine seemed as uncomfortable as he felt. "Have you lived here long?"

"Three years," Kurt answered, putting his fork down and sipping some water. "Have you been, uhm…?"

"Living in the streets for long?" Blaine quirked an eyebrow at him. "Almost four years, I think."

"That sucks," Kurt said, unsure of how he should respond to that.

"Quite a lot," Blaine stared at him for a moment, studying Kurt carefully. "Look, I know what you must be thinking right now. You're probably regretting that you let a total stranger into your apartment and you must be scared I'm going to rape you or steal your stereo or something…"

"Oh, well, cut straight to the chase…" Kurt shifted awkwardly on his seat.

"I just want you to know that I'm not going to do anything like that," Blaine said bluntly. "I may be homeless, but I'm not a bad person."

"Okay," Kurt nodded, trying not to show how immensely relieved he felt.

"Okay," Blaine nodded, too, and went back to eating.

When the food was gone, Kurt started cleaning up, but Blaine stopped him, begging him to let him do the dishes, at least.

"It's fine, really," Kurt said, smiling. "I have a dish washer."

"Still," Blaine insisted pleadingly. "Let me do something. Anything, to pay you back."

Kurt sighed, but let Blaine take care of the dishes anyway. He didn't use the dishwasher, he put the plates in the sink and washed them by hand, thoroughly. Kurt sat on his chair again, watching him. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of life Blaine had lived and how he had ended up where he was now.

When Blaine was done, he turned to Kurt as he dried his hands. "I'm gonna let you do whatever you do at night and I won't disturb you. And I can be out of here before you wake up, too…"

"Don't worry about that," Kurt said and once again his mouth was moving quicker than his brain. "Uhm. I mean… you can sleep in. I don't have anything to do until noon anyway, so I'll be here all morning."

"It's fine," Blaine smiled at him, a bit shy again. "Have a goodnight, Kurt. Thank you so much for letting me stay here."

"Goodnight, Blaine."

Kurt watched him pad down the hall and he stood in the middle of the kitchen long after he heard the guest bedroom's door closing behind Blaine.

* * *

Kurt was embarrassed to admit later, that the first thing he did the next morning, was check that everything was still where he had left it. Maybe Blaine's words had sounded convincing, but he was still a stranger and Kurt couldn't just trust him. Once he made sure nothing was missing, he slipped into his en-suite bathroom to take a long, relaxing shower.

He was finished getting dressed in his bedroom when he heard a clashing noise that startled him. He ran out of the room and down the hallway as fast as he could considering he was only wearing one shoe, as he held the other as if it were a weapon.

"Stupid, I'm so stupid," Blaine was mumbling, as he kneeled on the kitchen floor, picking up the pieces of broken china that less than a minute earlier had been a plate. He was so frantically picking everything up that he didn't even notice the sharp edges digging into his skin and making his fingers bleed.

"Stop, stop!" Kurt exclaimed, kneeling beside him.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt," Blaine said, not looking at him. "I-I'll pay for it, I swear."

"It's German china, Blaine, the plate alone was like two hundred dollars…" Kurt answered, reaching for the trash bin to throw the pieces in. He heard Blaine gulp next to him. "Don't worry about it, though. It's just crap I buy when I can't sleep late at night. That's the bad thing about having a credit card and an Internet connection, if you ask me."

"I'm sorry," Blaine repeated, completely desolated. "I-I just wanted to try and make breakfast for you as a way to thank you for letting me stay and it just slid out of my hands, I don't even know why…"

"Blaine, really. It was just an accident," Kurt smiled reassuringly at him.

"There must be something I can do to make it up to you…" Blaine looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Just take a seat and let me look at your fingers," Kurt replied. "You're bleeding."

Blaine sighed shakily and stood up. He took the same seat where he'd had dinner the previous night and stared down at his hands. Kurt went to get his first aid kit from the nearest bathroom and then walked to Blaine.

"Are you usually this clumsy?" He asked, teasingly.

Blaine managed a tiny smile. "Only when I'm nervous."

"Why are you nervous?" Kurt frowned at him as he started cleaning the cuts, making sure there were no slivers in them.

"I really wanted to do something for you, even if I can't do much," Blaine looked so sad it was devastating. "There was a strong blizzard last night, I don't know if you were still awake when it happened… but… you probably saved my life. If I had been out there last night…"

Kurt wasn't a person very keen on physical contact, especially not with people he had known for less than a day. He wasn't even very affectionate with his _boyfriends_ (boyfriends was such an unsuitable word… dates was more like it). So he wasn't sure exactly what possessed him to suddenly wrap Blaine in his arms and squeeze him in a hug.

Blaine was clearly surprised too. He gasped and let his own arms hung limply at his sides for a moment before he carefully surrounded Kurt with them, too.

When Kurt realized what he was doing ( _oh my god, I'm hugging the homeless stranger that spent the night in my apartment_ ), he pulled away. His face was flushed and he cleared his throat, avoiding Blaine's eyes.

"So, uhm. Breakfast," he muttered, moving away and walking to the counter.

"Yes," Blaine blinked for a second and then tried to shake the confusion off. "I'll make it, if you want…"

"No, it's fine," Kurt grabbed a bag of bread from one of the pantries and slipped a couple of slices into the toaster before going to the fridge. "I usually have some toast and coffee. Is that okay with you?"

"You don't have to give me breakfast," Blaine said with wide eyes. "I wasn't going to make it so I could eat, too… I just wanted to…"

"Blaine. Do you like toast and coffee?" Kurt arched an eyebrow at him, amused.

"I… yes."

Kurt pulled the milk, butter and cream cheese out of the fridge and then grabbed another plate to put the toast on. He busied himself for a few minutes, humming softly and almost forgetting Blaine was there, since the other man was very quiet. When he turned around, he found him standing by the window and looking out at the steady fall of snow. His eyes were incredibly sad, but he shook it off and masked his real emotions as soon as he heard Kurt putting the plate and the cups of coffee on the breakfast table.

"Everything alright?" Kurt asked gently.

Blaine raised his cup and let the strong, comforting smell of coffee fill his senses for a moment. "Yeah."

The silence between them was tense. Kurt couldn't read Blaine's expression. He had no idea what was going through his mind. And he didn't know why he wanted to know so badly.

When the cups and the plate were empty, Blaine took a deep breath and stood. His eyes were bright and his mouth was a tight, straight line.

"Thank you so much for your kindness, Kurt," he said so sincerely that Kurt couldn't help but smile a bit. "You have no idea how much what you did means to me. I'll put on my clothes again and I'll leave. You don't have to show me the way out. Thank you so, so much."

Kurt couldn't understand why his heart was thumping so hard in his chest. He was almost breathless as he watched Blaine walk down the hall.

He had to be crazy for what he was about to do.

"You don't have to go," he said.

Blaine turned around, his thick eyebrows all the way up in his hairline. "What?"

"It's still horrible outside," Kurt pointed towards the window. "Where would you go?"

"I can go get in line for the shelter," Blaine shrugged. "If I go now I might be able to get a bed there tonight."

"You might?" Kurt repeated. "Does that mean that you could spend the entire day waiting in the street to get a place to sleep and you might not even get it?"

Something flashed in Blaine's eyes. "That's the way things are."

"Just… stay," Kurt stood up and walked towards Blaine, stopping just a few steps away. "Please?"

As he waited for his answer, he took a moment to really look at Blaine, to notice the details he hadn't seen the previous night. His hair was dark and curly and little too long. Under the stubble, his jaw and his cheekbones were a little prominent, which probably meant Blaine needed to gain weight. It was hard to tell when he was engulfed in Finn's clothes.

Blaine seemed to be at some sort of crossroads. His eyes moved from Kurt to the window. He didn't want to impose Kurt any longer, but that snow outside… he had spent many days and many nights out there in the cold, and he was never exactly eager to have that happen again.

"One more night," he finally agreed.

Kurt smiled, obviously relieved. "Great." He looked up at the clock. He still had a couple of hours before he had to go, but he needed to make a few calls. "I'll be in my office. You can watch TV or read some magazines if you want… just let me know if you need anything, okay?"

Blaine nodded and Kurt walked down the hall to his office. He didn't close the door. He was probably being overly-caring, but he sure wouldn't be overly-stupid.

* * *

There was a knock on the office's door around an hour later and Kurt looked up from the screenplay he was reading to find Blaine standing there awkwardly.

"Sorry to interrupt, but the doorman came to deliver a package for you," he said timidly. "I hope you don't mind I opened the door for you."

"Not at all," Kurt smiled at him and Blaine entered the office to hand the package to him. "Thank you, Blaine."

"You're welcome," Blaine turned around to leave but something caught his eye and he stopped suddenly. "Oh, my god… is that a Tony Award?"

Kurt followed his line of sight. Blaine was staring at the shelf were Kurt kept some awards, photographs and other memorabilia from the different acting jobs he'd had since he started performing on Broadway. "Yes, it is. Do you like musical theatre?"

"I love it," Blaine hesitantly walked to the bookcase to take a closer look. "I… I didn't know you were on Broadway." He looked over his shoulder, shooting Kurt an apologetic smile. "It's hard keeping up with the entertaiment business news sometimes."

"It's okay," Kurt stood up and walked to him. "I'm fairly new to the business, I guess."

"But it looks like you've been doing so much already…" Blaine's eyes were wide and impressed.

"It doesn't seem like it to me," Kurt picked up a picture from the first play he had ever been in. It had been cancelled after the first week, but he'd had such a great time there. "There's so much I want to do still. All of this feels like it's just the beginning."

"You must be very good," Blaine's voice was warm and kind and Kurt smiled at him. They stayed silent for a moment. "Your life must be very exciting."

"It is, sometimes," Kurt shrugged. When he was still back in Ohio, he had imagined something different, though. But he didn't tell Blaine that. "I don't really go to all the parties and events. I like my privacy."

Blaine nodded. He looked in awe at the shiny awards for another moment before he seemed to snap out of his daze. "Alright. I won't bother you any more. I'll let you keep working."

He was out of the room before Kurt could even answer.

Kurt tried to concentrate back on what he had been doing, but it was hard. Blaine had him intrigued. He had the feeling that Blaine was a lot more than what he could see with his own eyes. The way he looked at things, the way he talked, the way he seemed so completely lost all the time. And it had to do with more than just not having a place to live. There was something else.

What Kurt couldn't explain was why he was so fascinated with the stranger in his house.


	2. Chapter 2

During the entire time he was out, Kurt was apprehensive. He had left a strange guy he barely knew alone at his apartment. By the time he got back, his place could have been completely emptied.

But it hadn't been. Everything looked exactly the same as it had when he left that morning. Kurt sighed in relief, feeling a bit evil for thinking Blaine would do something like that.

And then he noticed exactly what _was_ missing.

Blaine.

The apartment was silently deserted. Both the living room and the kitchen felt just as empty as all the other nights Kurt had come home to find nothing but lonliness waiting for him.

"Blaine?" He called his name forlornly anyway and, oh gosh, why did his voice have to crack like that? Why did he even care?

It hit him suddenly. Maybe Blaine was homeless because he didn't have a place to live, but Kurt was just as homeless, in his own way, because he had a beautiful _house_ but no one to come _home_ to.

Kurt had to stop for a moment and just breathe. After a couple bad break ups in college, Kurt had decided that the pain of relationships weren't worth it, so he had settled for one night stands that meant nothing. He had a few phone numbers he could call whenever he needed company. There were lots of guys who loved hanging out with him because he appeared in magazines and could take them to expensive restaurants. Guys who called him beautiful and gorgeous and all the other synonyms on the dictionary, because they thought he wanted to hear them say it.

And somehow, Kurt had convinced himself that was exactly what he wanted, what he needed.

He walked down the hall towards the guest room to see if Blaine had least left him a note, an explanation, anything. He was certainly not expecting to find the man cocooned into the bed sleeping peacefully.

Kurt gasped in surprise when he saw him. He looked so different from the way he had looked the night before. Maybe it was getting enough rest on a decent bed and some warm food in a clearly hollow stomach. Maybe it was knowing that for now (even if 'now' would end too soon) he had nothing to worry about.

He didn't really want to wake him up. It was obvious Blaine needed more sleep. He went back to the kitchen, rolled the sleeves of his Armani shirt up and started making sandwiches. He didn't feel like making a production out of cooking tonight. He just wanted to unwind by watching some pointless television and then go to bed.

He put two of the sandwiches on a plate, and covered them with some wrap, then grabbed an extra bottle of water from the fridge. He went back to Blaine's… no, to the _guest room_ and stepped into it softly, making sure he didn't disturb the sleeping man. He was probably going to be starving when he woke up, so Kurt put the plate and the bottle on the night-stand and then closed the door behind him carefully.

As he stood in the empty hallway for an instant, he realized he honestly had no idea what he was doing.

* * *

He must have passed out at some point between the end of America's Next Top Model and the beginning of Project Runway. But it wasn't the bright glow coming from the television that woke Kurt up. It was the light touch of a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently.

"Kurt?"

Kurt's eyes snapped open. Blaine was leaning over him, biting his lip nervously.

"Hi," he said quietly, smiling a bit. "Sorry I woke you up, but you didn't look very comfortable. Maybe you should just go to bed."

Kurt sat up slowly, blinking blankly, still half asleep. Blaine took a step back cautiously to give him more space. "What time is it? What are you doing up?"

"It's around one in the morning, I think," Blaine answered. "I woke up a while ago. Thanks for the sandwiches and the water. I just thought I'd bring the plate to the kitchen so I wouldn't break anything else and I saw you all scrunched up here."

"Thanks," Kurt rolled his head in circles to try and get rid of the twinge in his neck. "Everytime I fall asleep here I wake up with awful spams in my back."

"No problem," Blaine smiled at him, glad he'd saved Kurt from a backache.

There were a few seconds of silence before Kurt spoke again. "Were you bored alone here all day?"

"Oh, no, it was fine," Blaine made a gesture with his hand to dismiss Kurt's concern. "I actually read for a bit. I hope you don't mind. You have a great collection of books."

"Oh, no, I don't mind at all!" Kurt smilled, too. "I'm glad you found something you liked. But why did you go to bed so early? You had to be bored at some point."

"No, really," Blaine assured him. "I was just very tired. I don't tend to sleep very deeply and after a while, it gets exhausting."

Kurt thought about how horrible it had to be for Blaine to sleep in the streets in a city like New York, where anything could happen. He was out in all weather and constantly having to worry about his safety.

His heart ached a bit at the thought.

"Would you like to watch some TV with me?" Kurt casually invited his guest to join him.

"I thought you were going to bed?" Blaine replied, confused.

"I'm not sleepy anymore," Kurt shrugged with a quirk of his mouth. Blaine sat next to him on the couch after just a brief moment of hesitation.

If Kurt had to be completely honest, it was even having someone to watch his silly reality shows with was nice.

* * *

When Kurt woke again, a few hours later, he knew he was still on the couch, even before he opened his eyes. He could still hear the soft background murmur of the television and behind his closed lids, he could feel the morning light, brighter than in his bedroom.

Those were the first thing he noticed. The next thing he noticed made him snap his eyes open in disbelief.

The warmth against his forehead wasn't from the throw pillows. It was scratchy stubble. His hand wasn't resting on the cold white leather couch. It was resting on something warm and solid that moved up and down very, very slowly…

He was tangled up with Blaine. He had his face tucked into the crook of his neck, his hand on his stomach and his legs had somehow intertwined with his.

"Oh shit," he mumbled and in his rush to get up, he ended up tripping over Blaine's feet and falling to the floor, barely avoiding bashing his head against the edge of the coffee table.

Blaine woke up startled, and jumped off the couch before he even had time to realize what was going on. He'd had lots of experience with being waken up brusquely (mostly by the security guards at parks or train stations telling him to find somewhere else to sleep) and he wasn't exactly a fan of it.

But then he noticed Kurt lying on the floor and hurried to help him up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kurt mumbled, still half asleep, taking the hand Blaine was offering him. "I'm fine. Just my pride got dented."

"I'm so sorry. Was it my fault?" Blaine asked, concerned.

"No, I…" Kurt cleared his throat. "We, uhm, we fell asleep together, apparently."

"Oh!" Blaine pulled his hand away from Kurt's, like he'd been burnt.

"Yeah, well…" Kurt didn't know why he felt so uncomfortable. It's not like it was the first time he had fallen asleep next to someone while watching TV…

Blaine closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I should… I should go."

"Blaine, I told you already. There's no need for you to make breakfast or anything else for me…" Kurt tried to smile warmly.

Blinking in confusion, Blaine shook his head. "No. I mean… I should _go_. Leave. Your apartment. Like I said I would."

Kurt wasn't expecting his heart to clench inside his chest. He suddenly found himself reaching out and grabbing Blaine's wrist, craddling it between his hands. He didn't notice his thumb tracing circles on the sensitive skin there. "Do you really want to leave, Blaine?"

Blaine seemed taken aback by the question. He frowned even more. "What do you mean?"

"You seem like you're constantly thinking about leaving here," Kurt shrugged and let go of his wrist, and sat on the armrest of the couch. He looked up at Blaine with bright, blue eyes.

"That's because I don't want to impose on your kindness," Blaine answered, still not quite understanding where Kurt was going with all of that. "I can't stay here forever…"

"But you _could_ stay a bit longer," Kurt said earnestly.

"Why would you want me to stay?" There was a hint of something wary in Blaine's voice. Maybe distrust.

"I don't know," Kurt averted his gaze, and fixed it on the floor in front of him. He couldn't just tell him he liked coming home to a stranger because it was tons better than coming home to silence and loneliness. It would sound so pathetic… "Just… it's _so_ cold outside, Blaine. And you may not even get into the shelter. Why don't you stay a few more days?"

Something darkened in Blaine's eyes for an instant. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. "Kurt… I'm not going to be your charity project, okay? So if you're doing this because…"

"No!" Kurt exclaimed, horrified. "Oh my god, Blaine. No. Please, don't think that…"

"I'm just having a hard time trying to understand why you're so keen to help when everyone else has just turned their backs on me," Blaine ran a hand through his hair.

Kurt took his time to find an answer and even when he finally replied, he didn't feel he was being entirely truthful. "Because I'm not 'everyone else'."

Blaine didn't seem satisfied with it either. He even deflated a bit, as if deep down inside he had been hoping for Kurt to say something else. He sighed, tiredly. "Coffee and toast, right?"

"You don't have to…"

"I've got it," Blaine headed towards the kitchen, but before he left the living room, he looked back at Kurt over his shoulder with his hazel eyes the brightest Kurt had ever seen them. "Thank you, Kurt."

Kurt was only able to nod. His thoughts were too dizzying to do anything else.

* * *

Kurt told Blaine to do whatever he wanted, when he left that morning for his two hour casting meeting. He went straight back to the apartment afterward, wondering if he'd had eaten anything yet. Maybe they would make something nice for lunch together, if wasn't busy reading or something.

But he hadn't expected him to finding him doing _this_.

He was still wearing Finn's gigantic clothes (Kurt really needed to find him something different to wear), but the hoodie's sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. There was some music playing in the background from the TV, featuring some unknown artist from the 80s wearing far too much turquoise spandex, in Kurt's opinion. But Blaine wasn't watching the TV (although he was, Kurt noticed, shaking his ass to the beat in a little dance. It was quite a nice view). He was on his knees on the floor, with a bucket full of soapy water next to him, cleaning the floor like some sort of bearded, modern Cinderella.

Kurt closed the door behind him making Blaine look up.

"Oh, hi!" Blaine said, smiling widely.

"What are you _doing_?" Kurt asked with his eyebrows arched all the way up to his hairline.

Blaine stood up (Kurt was _not_ lamenting that it meant the end of the wonderful sight of his ass in the air. He was _not_ ). He suddenly looked unsure and nervous and Kurt wished he had been a little gentler with the tone of his question.

"Uhm. I-I thought I would do something for _you_ , since you're being so nice and letting me stay longer, so I-I just… I decided I would clean the apartment a bit… not that I think it's dirty, or anything like that!" He added, his expression turning even more terrified and wide-eyed. "Not at all! I couldn't figure out how to turn on your vacuum, so… I…" he let his arms fall helplessly at his sides, looking throughly defeated. He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Blaine…" Kurt smiled, walking to him. "Why would you be sorry? It's really nice of you to think of it. But… you don't have to do any of that. I have a lady that comes in to clean when I need her."

"Oh," Blaine had never felt as dumb as he felt right then. Of _course_ Kurt would have a cleaning lady. He swallowed and dropped the sponge back in the bucket, his jaw tense.

Kurt tilted his head to the side. "Are you okay?"

"Just _perfect_ ," Blaine answered tersely, as he carried the bucket back to the laundry room adjacent to the kitchen. He threw the water in the sink and put the bucket and sponge back where he had found them.

"No, you're not," Kurt murmured from the doorway, as he studied him carefully. "You're upset. Why are you upset?"

"I just…" Blaine leaned against the washing machine, clearly frustrated. "I feel so useless. You let me sleep here and you feed me and there's nothing I can do to pay you back! For most of the time you were gone, I just sat there staring out the window thinking about it. There has to be something I can do, Kurt." Blaine took a few steps towards him, looking at him eagerly. "Please."

"You know that I don't want you to pay me back in any way, right?" Kurt said and, for some reason, his hands twitched with the need to reach out and cup Blaine's face.

"That's what makes me feel like I'm a charity case," Blaine confessed sadly. "I don't want to be that."

"What _do_ you want, Blaine?" Kurt asked, intrigued.

The words were hard to let out, but when Blaine finally said them, he sounded so miserable that it was hard for Kurt not to pull him into a hug. "I just want some dignity back."

Kurt settled for putting a hand on his arm and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Okay. We'll figure something out."

Blaine didn't seem convinced. Kurt hadn't taken his coat off yet and an idea popped in his head.

"Would you like to go out for a walk?" He offered, enthusiastically. "You've been stuck in here since the night we met. You need some fresh air."

"I…" Blaine looked down at his feet. He didn't want Kurt to force himself to go out for a walk with him. People would stare at them and if some of them recognized Kurt, it would embarrass him.

Kurt seemed to have read his mind. He started tugging him out of the laundry room. "Come on! I need some air, too. And we can talk about finding something useful for you to do. But first, we'll have to find you some more suitable clothes and shoes."

"Kurt…" Blaine tried to protest.

"Blaine," Kurt stood his ground in the middle of the hallway. "We can stay here if you prefer and maybe watch a movie or whatever. But I really think you need to get out of here with me. You might be surprised with the ideas we come up with…"

Kurt seemed to actually be pouting slightly and Blaine's stomach twisted at the sight. It was the most endearing thing he'd seen in a while. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist him. "Fine, then."

Kurt's smile was brighter than ever. "Great! Now let's go find you something better to wear…"

Kurt's bedroom was huge, at least twice as big as the guest room where Blaine was staying. It had its own balcony, an en-suite bathroom and a walk in closet almost as big as the room itself. Blaine couldn't stop looking around in fascination at the tasteful decorating tones of grey and blue. The bed was enormous and had so many pillows on it that Blaine couldn't imagine having to move them all every night to go to sleep. It had to take several minutes…

Kurt had already disappeared into his closet, murmuring to himself as he went through everything he had in there. Blaine approached him shyly, not sure if he was allowed any farther into the room. It was, after all, Kurt's bedroom, the most private part of the house…

Blaine was speechless as soon as he caught a better sight of Kurt's wardrobe. It was _huge_. Blaine hadn't seen that many clothes in a single place in his whole life, except maybe in a store. He could see designer labels hanging from sleeves of some clothes Kurt had never worn yet and piles upon piles of shoe boxes.

"Wow," Blaine let out his murmur of astonishment without even realizing it.

Kurt smiled up at him from where he was going through some of the boxes. "Yeah, well. I guess some might think this is kind of excessive, but fashion is one of my biggest passions." Kurt found a pair of sneakers that looked as if they had never been taken out of the box. "I think these should fit you. And… those black pants over there are a bit short on me, so they'll be the perfect length for you." He stood up to retrieve the pants and then sorted through a collection of sweaters neatly folded on a shelf. He chose a red one with a turtle neck. "And this is perfect." He added a white cotton t-shirt to the pile and handed it to Blaine. "Try them on and let me see how they look on you!"

Blaine stared down at the clothes. They were so nice. He'd had nothing to wear but his ratty jeans and worn coat for such a long time… getting to wear Kurt's stuff felt unacceptably weird. Even the simple white t-shirt had a Lacoste label. It had to cost more money than Blaine'd had touched in a year…

"Is there something wrong?" Kurt asked with a frown as he started going through his coats to find one for Blaine.

"I can't wear these, Kurt…" Blaine said helplessly. "They're yours. And they're much too nice…"

"But they'll look great on you," Kurt interrupted him with a warm smile. "And unless you want to go out naked or in that stuff from Finn that you'll trip over, you'd better put them on."

Blaine swallowed, knowing Kurt wouldn't take no for an answer. He sighed. "Can I at least take a shower before putting them on?"

He felt so unworthy. In that moment, Blaine could almost feel the filth of New York City creeping back under his fingernals, into his hair and his skin.

"Sure, if you want," Kurt shrugged.

Blaine practically ran back to the guest room, clutching the clothes carefuly, as if they were made of gold.

Kurt sat on the floor of his beautiful closet and hoped he wasn't making Blaine feel even worse with his attempts to help him.

* * *

"Oh my gosh, you look fantastic!"

Blaine blushed all the way to the tips of his ears as Kurt clapped in enthusiasm when they met again the living room fifteen minutes later. The clothes fit him perfectly. The sneakers were maybe one size bigger than his feet, but they were still the most comfortably thing he had worn in a while. They even matched. And it still felt weird.

"I don't know, Kurt…" he muttered, hesitant.

"You just need a haircut and a good shave and then every lady in New York will fall at your feet," Kurt said with a smile.

Blaine tugged a bit at the sweater, awkwardly.

"Okay, now…" Kurt help a black peacoat in the air, encouragingly. "Try this on…"

Blaine bit his lip and slid into it. It was warm and it smelled so nice… like Kurt.

Kurt threw a scarf around his neck to complete the ensemble and started fixing it the way he thought it should go. Blaine's eyes went a little wide with his proximity and held his breath, hoping Kurt couldn't hear the race of his heartbeat.

Blaine was grateful for the rush of cold air that hit his face when they stepped out of the building a few minutes later. The familiar sounds of New York City filled his ears instantly. He took a deep breath and tried to enjoy being out with Kurt.

They started walking side by side, both with their hands buried in their pockets. They didn't talk at first, lost as they were in their own thoughts. When they reached the park, Kurt walked straight towards a bench, brushed the snow off and sat down. Blaine followed his lead and sat beside him.

The silence extended for a few more minutes, but finally Kurt broke it. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

Blaine nodded. His eyes were fixed on another bench, not too far away, tucked right under a tree. He remembered spending almost an entire month sleeping there every night, when the weather was warmer…

"What happened to you?" Kurt asked. His voice was deep and a bit surprised, as if he couldn't understand how someone's life could get as derailed as Blaine's had.

Blaine' lips curled up, bitterly, in what could've been taken for a smile. "That's a really big question with lots of smaller questions that need to be explained, too."

"You don't have to answer me," Kurt hurried to say, shaking his head as if he was regretting asking it. "I just… I don't understand."

"Sometimes I don't understand, either," Blaine sighed and took his eyes off the bench, lifting them up to the sky, clear and cloudless. "And I don't want to make you uncomfortable…"

"I wouldn't judge you," Kurt muttered. "But it's up to you. I just feel like talking would help you."

Blaine really doubted it, but he knew he owed Kurt some sort of explanation. And for such a long time, he hadn't had anyone to talk to. He had lost everything. "I've always been sort of a solitary kid. I didn't have any friends at school and I was bullied a lot. I was really looking forward to graduating and escaping from all of that. But then I made the mistake of coming out to my father the same night I finished high school."

Kurt actually choked when he heard Blaine's bitter words. "Wait, you… you're _gay_?"

Blaine's expression became more guarded, almost scared, even. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No, not at all," Kurt's eyes were maybe a little wide, but he didn't know why. "I mean… I'm gay, too. I just… didn't think _you_ were."

"Oh," Blaine's eyes went wide, too. He stuttered, looking for words for a moment, not even knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry I interrupted," Kurt said. "Please, continue."

Blaine nodded, but it took a few minutes for him to remember where he had left off. "Anyway… my dad wasn't very pleased about having a gay son. He was already disappointed in me in so many ways and this was just too much for him to take. So he, uhm, he beat me up…"

Kurt unconsciously reached out for Blaine's hand and grabbed it in his gloved one, as he gasped in surprised. "Blaine…"

"He was more furious than I've ever seen him in my life," Blaine continued, pushing through it because it was so hard to even _think_ about it, much less describe it to Kurt. Somehow, though, Kurt's hand in his gave him courage. "I thought he'd never stop. I though he was going to kill me. I've always been sort of a small guy, so it's not like I could fight him off. When he turned around towards the chimney, I was sure he was going to grab the fire poker…"

"Oh my god," Kurt covered his mouth with his free hand and scooted closer to Blaine without giving it a thought.

"So… I ran out," Blaine closed his eyes and Kurt knew he was thinking about that night, that he was seeing it clearly again, in his head. "I ran out of my house and I never looked back. I had some money in my wallet, but that was all I had. I used it to get on a bus to get as far away from him as I could and come to New York. I was convinced he was going to try and find me and… I couldn't have that."

"Where are you really from?" Kurt asked in a soft voice.

"Ohio," Blaine answered him woodenly, glancing at him. He saw the surprise in Kurt's gaze. "What?"

"I'm from Ohio, too," a tiny smile appeared on his lips. Blaine smiled a bit, too, but as in all the other smiles that Kurt had seen on his face, it didn't reach his eyes. "What happened when you got here?"

"Well, I had no money, no job experience, no references, no place to stay…" Blaine leaned against the back of the bench and exhaled, tiredly. "And the worst part was that what my father did left me so depressed that I barely had the energy to try to survive somehow." He shook his head, as if he was disappointed. "I couldn't get a job. No one wanted to hire a homeless kid. My depression was deepening and some days I would just lie on the grass at some park and do nothing for days at a time. It was like I was just waiting for my story to end…" He shrugged, as if it didn't matter, but it was obvious it did matter to him a lot. "By the time I convinced myself that I was just finishing what my father started, it was already too late. I had been on the streets for almost a year and become what I am now: a person everyone avoids at all costs."

Kurt didn't realize he was crying until Blaine turned back to him and, with a frown, reached to wipe his tears away gently. "I'm so sorry all of this happened to you…"

"Hey, you don't have to cry for me…" Blaine's fingers were warm against Kurt's cold cheeks and he couldn't help but lean into the touch a little bit. "I didn't mean to make you sad."

"I can't help it," Kurt said as a few more tears trailed down straight to Blaine's finger. "I wish I'd found you sooner…"

"You can't save me, Kurt," Blaine muttered with a sad smile.

Kurt squeezed his hand. "I can at least try."


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't easy for Kurt to fall asleep that night. He tossed and turned on the bed endlessly, as what Blaine had told him earlier kept replaying in his head.

He felt like crap. He had been a judgmental moron. Yes, he had brought Blaine into his home and offered him help, but hadn't he spent the first two days completely convinced that the second he turned around, Blaine would rob his apartment? He was no different from the people who had turned their backs on Blaine when he needed a job or when he needed a place to live. He was just as bad as them.

He rolled onto his side and grabbed a pillow, hugging it to his chest tightly. For a moment, he wished it was Blaine. He wished he could cuddle Blaine close and give him all the love he clearly needed and had been denied… and then he realized what he was thinking and pretty much threw the pillow halfway across the room in dismay.

Kurt knew himself way too well and he knew where those thoughts would lead if he let them run free. He couldn't fall in love with Blaine. It was way too complicated. The last thing Blaine needed was a relationship. And Kurt's relationship track-record wasn't exactly encouraging. No. Even thinking about it was dangerous.

Kurt huffed at himself, annoyed, and turned over once again, now lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. He needed to find a way to help Blaine. Giving him a place to sleep and some food wasn't enough anymore.

Sighing, Kurt realized that maybe it was already too late to avoid getting involved with Blaine. He already wanted to give him everything.

* * *

The next morning, Blaine felt so much better. It was as if an invisible weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Kurt had been right. Talking about what had happened to him had been very helpful.

He still didn't have a solution and he probably wouldn't have one any time soon, but there was one thing he had now that had been missing from his life for years: a friend. Kurt was an amazing friend. He was generous and selfless and so compassionate. The way he had opened his home to Blaine made him feel warm inside. It made him feel human again. He wasn't used to people being polite. He was used to being looked at as if he was about to attack someone, as if he was sick, or worst of all, as if he didn't even exist.

The phone rang next to Blaine, where he sat on the couch, making him put down the book he had been reading. He looked back to the hallway, wondering if Kurt could hear it or not. Maybe his bedroom door was closed.

Blaine grabbed the phone and hurried down the hall, hoping it wouldn't stop ringing in the meantime. Kurt's door was half open and Blaine didn't even think about knocking before pushing it open all the way and rushing into the room.

Kurt was standing by the bed, studying several different combinations spread on the bed, trying to put together an outfit.

He was wearing nothing but a towel, wrapped low around his waist with his hair hanging into his face still damp from the shower.

Blaine's heart stopped.

The phone kept ringing.

Kurt turned around to face him and Blaine did his best to cover his eyes.

"Oh my god, Kurt!" He exclaimed, mortified. "I'm so sorry for barging in like this! I didn't know!"

Before Kurt even had time to open his mouth, Blaine turned to rush out of the room blindly. He tripped on the much-too-long pants that belonged to Kurt's brother and stumbled, walloping his head against the edge of the door before falling face first onto the floor.

"Blaine!" Kurt said, worriedly, as he hurried to help him. He leaned over him to turn him over. "Are you okay?"

Blaine blinked, expecting to see stars circling over his head. Then his eyes settled back on Kurt: his smooth, lightly muscled chest; the patch of hair that trailed all the way down to his stomach and beyond; the way the towel hung loosely around his hips, sliding lower and lower and…

"Oh," Kurt caught the towel just in time, before it came completely unwrapped and tucked it tightly around himself again, but not before Blaine caught a glimpse of a muscular, beautiful thigh. "Blaine, you need to say something. Are you still with me?"

Blaine blinked again. "The phone is ringing."

"Not anymore, sweetie," Kurt corrected him, and Blaine gasped for a moment at the endearment. His confused, bruised head wondered for a moment if there was someone else that Kurt called that, if it had slipped out of his lips unintentionally. If maybe he had only imagined it and he actually had a concussion. "Do you think you can stand up?"

"No. Yes. Yes, I can," Blaine babbled.

"Let me help you up…"

"No!" Blaine said, maybe a little too loudly. It was much better if he didn't touch Kurt while he was naked. "Thanks. I can do it myself. I'm fine."

"Okay," Kurt answered, taking a step back to give him space. He was looking at him suspiciously, as if he was seriously wondering if Blaine had been knocked silly.

Blaine swayed a little on his feet, but managed to stand without toppling. He took one look at Kurt's eyes, before he turned around and left the room as fast as he could.

He could hear Kurt from the bedroom as he walked away. "Put some ice on your head! I'll get dressed and be there in a minute!"

Why was it fair that Kurt wasn't only the kindest man he had ever met in his life, but he was also the most gorgeous he had ever laid eyes on?

For one crazy moment moment, Blaine considered climbing into the freezer and let his overheated body cool down. But then he realized he would have to explain what he was doing to Kurt and that would only make things even more awkward.

Kurt walked out of his bedroom five minutes later, completely dressed (Blaine reminded himself he was _not_ disappointed that there wasn't any more skin on display) and approached Blaine with concern in his eyes. He removed the ice pack Blaine had been pressing to the part of his head where he had hit the door and then brushed some of his curls back to get a better look.

No, of course Blaine didn't shiver, that was ridiculous.

And his breath didn't hitch when Kurt leaned closer. What kind of stupid idea was that?

"It looks like you'll live, to me," Kurt commented at last, taking a few steps back and letting Blaine press the ice back on his head. "I guess it sounded a lot worse than it was. I thought at first that you had cracked your head open."

"I'm so sorry I walked in like that," Blaine muttered, shyly. "I never thought you'd be…"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Kurt said dismissively. "I've been naked on stage multiple times. This was nothing." But he was still sort of flushed, so he wasn't very convincing.

Blaine simply nodded, trying not to imagine how Kurt would look, naked on stage with all those lights reflecting on his perfectly pale skin…

"So, the call I missed was from work," Kurt commented happily as if nothing had happened. "I'm going to have a few days off! I honestly can't remember the last time I had any kind of vacation."

"That's actually great," Blaine smiled.

"I have a lot of time in my hands right now," Kurt continued as he pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and took a sip. "I feel like shopping. And you're coming with me."

Blaine's smile faded. "I'd… really rather not, Kurt."

"Ooh! Come on!" Kurt grabbed his hand and started tugging at it until Blaine was on his feet and following him down the hallway again. "It's so boring going shopping alone!"

"I won't be very entertaining…" Kurt turned to pout at him, and Blaine felt his resolution melting away. "Okay, _fine_ … I'll go with you."

Kurt smiled and clapped his hands, as he seemed to do every time he was excited about something. "Wonderful. Let's get you dressed."

"Oh, no, no," Blaine stopped, stubbornly, before Kurt could drag him back into his room. "No, Kurt. I'll wear the same clothes I wore yesterday. I don't want you to give me any more of your clothes."

"But…" Kurt tried to protest.

"No. Please." Pleading hazel eyes stared into Kurt's blue ones. "I just used them for our walk. They're clean and they fit. That's all I need. Really."

Kurt very obviously didn't agree with him, but conceded grudgingly and allowed him to wear the same clothes anyway.

Once Blaine was ready, he stood in the sidewalk, waiting for Kurt as he went to the parking garage next door to get his car. He could feel the doorman scrutinizing him from the hall, but he didn't look back. The man was probably trying to decide if the well-dressed, clean guy could possibly be the filthy homeless tramp Kurt had taken home a few nights ago.

A shiny black BMW coupe stopped right in front of him and Blaine could feel his eyes popping out of his head as Kurt pushed the passenger side door open for him. Blaine climbed hesitantly into his seat and looked around, amazed.

Kurt wove through the heavy New York traffic, but he turned to look at Blaine every now and then. "Are you okay? Are you getting car sick or something?"

"No, I'm fine," Blaine shook his head, still a bit distracted. "I'm actually trying to remember the last time I was in a car. I think it was probably my dad's, after my graduation, when he drove us home…"

Kurt didn't even think before reaching across and grabbing Blaine's hand in his. "I bet my car's cooler than his, though," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

He felt it was a victory when Blaine actually chuckled. "It's true. He'd hate that. He was never the kind of guy who could spend money on a car like this, but he wanted to be that guy."

Blaine noticed Kurt didn't pull his hand away from his. He had to admit he liked how they fit together, like puzzle pieces.

Blaine wasn't sure he had ever fit so well with anyone in his life before.

* * *

It didn't surprise Blaine at all that Kurt wanted to go into all the designer stores. Blaine would've felt more uncomfortable (the sales ladies would've had a stroke if they knew they had a homeless person in their workplace), but seeing the enthusiasm in Kurt's eyes was too distracting to even worry about what they thought of him.

Kurt seemed delighted as he went through the hangers and the shelves full of beautiful clothes. Every now and then he would grab a especific item, examine it with a critical eye and then, if he was satisfied, hand it to the girl that was assisting them, whose arms were already full of pants, shirts and sweaters Kurt had approved of.

"Oh my gosh, Blaine, don't you love this colour?" Kurt would say every now and then.

"Beautiful," Blaine would answer, but his gaze was fixed on Kurt's eyes, the blue, green and grey swirling there, making them so enticing.

Blaine hesitantly walked to a shelf where some bowties were displayed and reached out to gently caress one, but he took a step back when he caught sight of the woman at the counter, narrowing her eyes at him, suspiciously. Could she maybe know about him somehow? Had he ever slept outside the store? What was it that gave him away?

"Do you like those, sweetheart?" Kurt said as he approached him from behind and once again that warm sensation travelled down his spine at the endearment.

"They're very nice," Blaine shrugged and cleared his throat. "I used to have one that looked a lot like that green one when I was a kid."

"I'm sure it looked great on you," Kurt offered with a radiant smile. For a moment, it looked like he was going to lean closer and kiss Blaine's cheek, but the soft touch of lips never came. Blaine told himself he wasn't disappointed. "What do you say we go have some coffee, now? You must be tired of following me into stores."

"I'm actually having fun," Blaine said timidly, and he was. Even if he wasn't doing much, just being around Kurt was a joy.

"Good," Kurt smiled even wider. "But I think I need a caffeine fix before I do anything else." Kurt looked out of the store. There was a Starbucks right across from it and it looked quite full. "Would you mind getting in the line while I pay for all of this? It will save us some time."

"Of course," Blaine nodded, before walking out of the store and into the coffee shop.

Being there alone for a moment, surrounded by people minding their own business, gave Blaine some time to think about Kurt. He still couldn't understand why Kurt kept him around, why he refused to let Blaine go back to the streets. It seemed to be something a lot more complex than just being a good person who wanted to help someone. That might be one of the reasons, but it certainly wasn't _the_ reason. He just wished he could understand…

Blaine was almost at the front of the line (he was starting to panic because he had no idea what Kurt wanted and he didn't have any money, either) when Kurt joined him, grinning happily and with at least five bags hanging from his arm.

"The girl at the counter was the slowest I've ever seen," he commented. "I thought I'd be there forever." He eyed the list of coffee at the back of the counter, as if he was deciding what to get. "So… are you a latte kind of guy? Espresso? Cappuccino?"

"I'm a I-won't-order-anything kind of guy," Blaine anwered, feeling the discomfort creeping up on him again.

"You really are no fun," Kurt teased, but when Blaine remained serious, he sighed and nudged him with his shoulder. "Please? If you really don't feel like having coffee, then fine, you don't have to. But please don't do this just because it's on me."

"Kurt…" Blaine muttered, even though he wasn't sure what he wanted to say exactly. Was he trying to beg Kurt to not make him feel any worst? To warn him about not upsetting him? Was he just saying his name because it felt so good rolling off his tongue?

"Listen," Kurt said, with an optimistic tone and clearly ready to present a good counterpoint. "There's something I would like to talk to you about and I think it would be better if we did it with a nice cup of coffee between us. Just… say yes, Blaine?"

Blaine didn't have time to reply as the barista looked at them with his most friendly smile. Kurt quickly squeezed Blaine's hand for a moment before turning his attention to him.

"Hi. I'd like a grande nonfat mocha, please."

"Grande nonfat mocha, okay," he mumbled as he scribbled the order on the cup. He looked at Blaine. "And for you?"

There it was again, Kurt's hand sliding into his for the briefest of moments…

"Just a short latte will be fine," Blaine said in a choked voice.

Kurt was still smiling brightly as they sat at one of the few empty tables. He carefully put down all his bags on the extra chair and wrapped his fingers around his paper cup.

Blaine was feeling uneasy and it didn't even have to do with the coffee anymore. "So… you said you wanted to talk to me?"

_He changed his mind. This is his way of telling me nicely to get the hell out of his house. Or maybe one of those women back at the clothing store asked him if I was the same guy who once slept in the alley beside the store. Maybe they embarrassed him. Or he realized he's crazy for letting a total stranger into his life. Or he's tired of dealing with all my crap. Maybe I scared him with what I told him yesterday._

He was so busy freaking out that he didn't realize Kurt had already started talking.

"… because everyone deserves a second chance, Blaine," he looked so happy as he talked. As if he had put a lot of thought into what he was saying and couldn't wait for Blaine to hear all about it. "And I know maybe you think it's a little late for yours, but I don't. I think you're right on time."

"Wait," Blaine was definitely confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You said yesterday that what made it harder for you to find a job when you got to the city was the fact that you had nowhere to live," Kurt continued, just as enthusiastically. "And since that is, you know, solved, at least for a while," Kurt looked away for a moment and Blaine tried to understand what had suddenly made him shy, but then he was back to normal, "I was thinking that maybe you could apply to a few places…"

Blaine's eyes widened. He honestly hadn't expected that from Kurt.

"Not that I want you to work to pay me back or anything like it," Kurt added, quickly, as if he didn't want Blaine to make wrong assumptions. "I'm saying this because you complained several times about feeling useless and because I think you can still live your life they way you've always wanted to live it."

Blaine wasn't sure if what he was hearing was his imagination or not. It sounded way too good to be true.

"What makes you think someone will want to hire me?" He asked, still a bit shocked.

"I don't see why not," Kurt shrugged, nonchalant. "You'll have to start from the bottom, of course. Maybe as a waiter or something like that. But I think it would be good for you…"

Blaine wanted to believe that, too, but he wasn't sure how it would work out. For starters, if anyone asked him what he had been doing since he had finished high school, since he hadn't had a job or gone to college… what was he going to say? What kind of explanation would he give?

Kurt apparently sensed his concern. His smile became warmer. "I can pull some strings, call some people. Make sure they won't ask any questions that may make you uncomfortable."

"Kurt," Blaine shook his head before leaning it into his hands. His elbows were resting on the table and his latte was between them, forgotten. "I can't possibly ask any more from you."

"You're not asking. I'm offering," Kurt took a sip of his mocha.

Blaine peeked at him from between his fingers. "What if it doesn't work out? What if someone finds out who I am? What if I end up embarrassing you?"

"Why are you so worried about embarrassing me?" Kurt tilted his head to the side, as he tried to comprehend. "What are you planning to do? Are you going to dance around naked or something like that?"

If it was supposed to be a joke, Blaine didn't find it funny. "You know exactly what I mean."

"And why do you care if I don't? Shouldn't I be the one worried about that?" Kurt said sweetly, peeling Blaine's hands off his face. "I think you're a wonderful guy, Blaine. I have faith in you."

Blaine hadn't known how much he had needed to hear those words (for so many years, so many) until they left Kurt's lips. He nodded absently and, after giving him a reassuring smile, Kurt started talking about something else.

Blaine was grateful for how easily Kurt seemed to understand him. He didn't know how that had happened, what had changed in these last few days, but it made Blaine feel comfortable for the first time in a very long while.

* * *

They went to a few more stores before going back home. It was getting late and dinner time was getting closer. The entire backseat of Kurt's BMW was covered by his shopping bags and Blaine was sure he had never seen anyone shop like that in his life.

He couldn't deny he'd had a wonderful time, though. Just being around Kurt was always the highlight of his day.

As soon as they entered the apartment, Kurt dropped down on the couch and kicked his boots off, wiggling his toes happily. "My feet were killing me."

Blaine looked down at the mess of bags all over the floor. "Do you want me to carry all of this to your room for you?"

Kurt hummed, closing his eyes and getting a bit more comfortable against the cushions. "Don't worry about the Gucci ones,just leave them there. But you can take the rest to your room, if you want. Those are for you."

Blaine was already picking everything up, but at Kurt's words, he stopped and looked at him, horrified. "Kurt…"

"Don't even start. I know precisely what you're going to say," Kurt said, still relaxed. "But if you're going to go to job interviews, you'll need some decent clothes."

"I don't want any of this," Blaine put the bags he had picked up back on the floor. He looked indignant.

Kurt opened his eyes and peered at him, sighing as if he was dealing with a stubborn child. "Blaine…"

"You could've _at least_ told me what you were doing! There are like twenty bags in here and they're all from designer stores!" Blaine snapped. He couldn't believe Kurt had done that to him. Didn't he know how much he'd humiliated him? "Even if I get a decent job, which I seriously doubt, I'll never have enough money to pay you back for all of this!"

Kurt straightened up a bit and looked at Blaine with what he hoped was a soothing smile on his face. "I just wanted to help."

"I know, but you're actually making it worse," Blaine's voice cracked a bit. He knew he had no right to get mad at Kurt. It was so ungrateful of him to act like this… but what was he supposed to do? "Do you have any idea how small this makes me feel? How insignificant?"

Kurt's face fell and he seemed to get it for the very first time. "I'm sorry, Blaine. That wasn't my intention. I just…"

"How do you expect me to believe you when you say I'm not some charity case, Kurt?" Blaine said and he sounded so miserable that Kurt felt tempted to throw every single bag into the garbage. "Do you think it's easy for me to just accept everything you give me? Do you think I enjoy being the poor indigent who can't even afford a cup of coffee?"

He could feel the tears stinging in his eyes. Gosh, he didn't want to cry in front of Kurt, but his feelings were so overwhelming…

Kurt stood up and it seemed as if he was going to come closer to Blaine, maybe give him a hug. Blaine couldn't have that now. If Kurt touched him, he would shatter into pieces.

"I-I need a moment," he muttered, retreating backward a step and causing Kurt to freeze. "I'm sorry, Kurt. Just… give me a moment."

And without saying another word, Blaine turned around and walked to the guest room, with his jaw tensed to hold back the tears until he was safely behind closed doors.

* * *

Kurt took a deep breath before knocking softly on Blaine's bedroom door. It had been almost two hours since Blaine had hidden in there. Kurt wasn't sure if he should give him some more time, but the anxiety felt like it might kill him.

"Blaine?" He called gently. "I'd like to come in, okay?"

When he didn't get an answer, he thought maybe Blaine had fallen asleep, but he pushed the door open anyway. Blaine was, in fact, awake and sitting against the headboard in the bed, with his hands lying on his lap dejectedly.

"I was hungry so I ordered some Chinese food," Kurt showed him the little white boxes he was carrying as if they were a peace offering. "I thought you might be hungry, too."

Blaine didn't answer. His throat bobbed visibly as he swallowed. His eyes were still fixed on his hands.

"Do you mind if I sit here with you while we eat?" Kurt asked. His hands were sweating. He hadn't felt that way in a very long time.

Blaine gave a noncommittal shrug, so Kurt decided to take that as a yes. He settled on the other side of the bed, leaving a considerable space beween them, and put some of the boxes within Blaine's reach. He opened the one he wanted and unwrapped a pair of chopsticks.

At first, the strained silence and the lack of conversation made Kurt's stomach twist in a very unpleasant way. Then he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Blaine, I…" He took another deep breath. He needed it. "I'm so sorry. I feel like the biggest jerk in the world right now."

"No, _I'm_ sorry," Blaine finally said, his voice hoarse with emotion. "You've been nothing but amazing to me, and this is how I show you how grateful I am? By yelling at you in your own house?"

"Gosh, no, Blaine. Please, don't apologize to me," Kurt shook his head. "I knew how you felt about me buying things for you and forcing my help on you and I did it anyway without caring about the consequences. I should've at least asked you if you were okay with me buying you a few outfits instead of just dragging you into every clothing store in New York pretending I was shopping for me. I'm a douchebag and I'm sorry. Really, really sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, either…" Blaine smiled sadly at him. "I shouldn't have overreacted the way I did. I've never liked it when people pity me. Once I actually chased an old lady down the street to give her back the five bucks she had thrown at my feet while I was sitting in the subway station."

"I didn't lie when I said you're a wonderful guy, Blaine," Kurt put a hand on his knee and squeezed reassuringly. "You really are. And a million times better person than I'll ever be. So I'm sorry if I screwed up. I will, every now and then. I'm not perfect."

"You're sort of perfect to me," Blaine admitted with a blush. "No one could be better than you. Especially not me."

Kurt felt his heart stopping for a moment and then continuing to beat even harder than before. "We could spend the rest of the night arguing about who's better than who or we could just have dinner and talk about nice things."

"I like the second option better," Blaine whispered shyly.

Kurt grinned and pushed a few of the boxes with food towards him. "Come on, then. Eat something before it gets cold."

Blaine accepted one and opened it. The delicious smell of food instantly hit his nose and he moaned in pleasure. He really was starving. "Mu shu pork is one of my favorite things ever."

"Then I made a good guess," Kurt nudged him with his shoulder, scooting a little closer to Blaine. "Would you like an eggroll?" He added, offering his own box as he stole some of Blaine's pork.

Blaine tried not think about how intimate sharing food like that with someone was and just decided to enjoy it. It wasn't as if he'd had many chances to do so in his life.

When they were done eating, Kurt stood up, picking up the empty boxes. He hesitated, but shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled something out, extending it to Blaine, biting his lip anxiously.

It was the green bowtie he had seen in that store earlier, the one he'd told Kurt reminded him of one he'd had when he was a kid.

"I know you don't want to accept anything from me. You don't have to wear any of the clothes I bought for you. I'll just hide them in my closet and you won't have to see them again," Kurt's eyes were so bright that Blaine was unable to look away. "But, please, can you keep this? I want you to have something to… to remember me by."

A sudden rush of emotions threatened to make Blaine choke. He hesitantly took the bowtie from Kurt, as if he was afraid something would happen to it if he wasn't gentle enough.

"Thank you," he muttered.

Kurt nodded before turning around to walk out of the room. He was almost in the hallway when Blaine called his name.

"Kurt?"

Kurt looked over his shoulder. "Uhm?"

"I-I don't think I need something to remember you by. I'm pretty sure you're unforgettable."

If Kurt almost broke down and hurried back to Blaine to kiss him, no one could've blamed him.

Luckily, he managed to hold himself back.


	4. Chapter 4

For the next few days, Blaine tried to absorb the idea that his life might be changing. Sometimes he stood by the window and watched the city, lost in his thoughts, wondering where he'd be if Kurt hadn't stopped to talk to him that night. Sometimes he went even farther back in time and wondered how things would've gone if he hadn't told his father he was gay after his graduation. Often, he would shake his head and force himself to do anything but remember that day. There was no point in _what if's_.

Most of the time, he enjoyed Kurt's book collection. For so many years, he had only read newspapers and magazines he'd find in the garbage. He'd missed losing himself in a wonderful fictional world where his own problems didn't matter. He devoured book after book avidly and he would tell Kurt all about them while they had dinner together every night. Kurt had, of course, read most of them already, so it was great to discuss their points of view. But, on some occasions, Kurt would listen to Blaine ramble on about a certain chapter or character, delighted at his enthusiasm. Blaine was never as animated as he was when he was talking about what he'd read.

Some mornings, they would sit together and plan what Blaine's next moves would be. They made a list of all the possible jobs he could apply for, and Kurt even convinced Blaine to borrow ( _I promise, you'll be just borrowing them, Blaine, just for the interviews_ ) one or two outfits so he could look more presentable. Blaine knew he couldn't go to a job interview wearing his old jeans full of holes or the hoodie that he had used for so long that it was in shreds. Reluctantly, he had agreed.

On Sunday night, they got comfortable on the couch with Kurt's laptop and started typing an acceptable resumé. Blaine tried to pretend he didn't see very well as an excuse to lean closer a few times and breathe in Kurt's amazing scent. He had just come out of the shower and his hair smelled like coconut, but his skin smelled like gardenias. Blaine felt like he couldn't get enough of it.

On Monday morning, after a nice breakfast together, Blaine got dressed under Kurt's watch (Blaine had forgotten how much slacks could itch. Kurt tried not to stare at the way those pants made Blaine's ass look) and then Kurt pushed him out the door with a good luck kiss on the cheek that made Blaine blush. His cheeks were still reddened when he walked into the first coffee shop with a 'help wanted' sign he found.

Needless to say, it was a long day. Blaine went to coffee shops, restaurants, post offices, dry cleaners, supermarkets, clothing stores. Everywhere he thought he might have a shot, he made a stop and left a resumé. By the time he walked back to Kurt's apartment, his feet hurt like crazy in the shoes Kurt had chosen for him that morning. He couldn't wait to take them off.

Kurt had already left for the theatre and Blaine knew he wouldn't come back until very late that evening, so he changed back into the clothes he wore around the apartment and sat on the couch to try to read a bit. He was still shaking a bit with left over tension. It had been so long since he had put himself out there, talked to people eye to eye, and tried to do something with his life. He wasn't sure where all of this would get him, but he felt that at least he was taking matters into his own hands again. He hadn't done that since he was still a kid.

He was halfway through a chapter when the phone rang on the table next to him. Kurt had told him to just answer it whenever it rang, especially since now potential employers would be contacting Blaine at that number in case he was offered an interview or a job. Anxious, he reached for it and pressed the button.

"Hello?"

"Oh, Blaine! Hi!" Kurt's excited voice came from the other end. "You're back! I've been calling every thirty minutes!"

"Is everything alright?" Blaine asked, frowning. Had something happened while he was gone?

"Yes, it's all fine, but I was just crazy nervous for you! How did it go?"

Blaine was surprised that Kurt was so interested in how his job hunting had gone. He was still trying to get used to the idea of someone caring about what he did or didn't do. "I don't know," he replied sincerely. "I talked to lots of people and handed out so many resumés that I lost count. But some said they would call if they needed help."

"Ugh, waiting for the phone call is the worst part," Kurt huffed. "But I'm sure somebody will call, at some point."

"I know for sure that at least seven of them won't," Blaine shrugged even though Kurt couldn't see him. "They asked too many questions that I just couldn't answer without telling them that I've been sleeping in the streets for the past four years."

"Didn't the excuse about having to look after a sick family member work?" Kurt sounded a bit disappointed.

"Yes, it worked in some cases," Blaine sighed. "But I was too nervous in others and the more they asked, the more nervous I got. So I think I may have screwed up a bit…"

"Oh, sweetheart, don't worry," Kurt said soothingly and Blaine felt the same tickles in his stomach he always got when the word slipped off Kurt's lips. "We'll keep trying until something good comes up. Trust me."

A fond smile played on Blaine's lips. "I do trust you, Kurt."

"Good," Blaine had the feeling Kurt was smiling, too. "My break is over now and I have to go back to work. I'll see you later tonight, okay?"

"Of course," Blaine muttered and they both said their goodbyes. Blaine kept the phone pressed against his ear until Kurt hung up and he couldn't hear him anymore.

* * *

Blaine ended up going out everyday to hand out resumés everywhere he could. One night, Kurt helped him set up an email account and he started emailing them too, and he signed up for online job hunting websites. He was amazed by the way Kurt seemed so determined to not let him fail anymore. And he couldn't deny he was very touched, too.

Even if the results weren't immediate, Kurt's faith in him made him feel hopeful in a way he hadn't felt in a very, very long time.

* * *

There was nothing better than opening your eyes lazily in the morning, knowing it's your day off. Kurt stretched on the bed, nuzzling against his pillows and enjoying the knowledge that he had absolutely nothing on his schedule to do at all…

But then his eyes went wide and he sat up on the bed, startled.

Reaching for his phone, he checked the date and his agenda… and his stomach dropped. How had he forgotten? He had been dreading this night for weeks. With the whole Blaine thing, it had completely slipped from his mind, but now…

He couldn't possibly cancel.

In just a blink, what he had hoped would be a perfect day, turned into the kind of day in which he wanted to hide under the covers and disappear from the world.

Kurt had a certain circle of… acquaintances he frequented. They were all in the business, on Broadway. At first, Kurt had started hanging around with them simply because they seemed to lead the life he had always dreamed of. But when Kurt realized that they were mostly arrogant, egocentric douchebags, he was too involved in the group to just put some distance between them. And it wasn't as if he had lots of other friends to pick from. He had worked so hard the first couple of years he had been in New York, that he had ended up pushing everyone else away. It was also true that those people had given him occasional casting leads when he was starting out. By the time he had found some success in his career, he had no one he cared about to celebrate it with.

Maybe he had turned into one of those arrogant, egocentric douchebags, too.

The thing was… every now and then, one of those acquaintances would organize a dinner party to brag about their success and invite all the others to listen. Kurt had made the mistake of going alone the first year. Everyone else had taken dates. They had given him such a rough time, teasing him constantly and making him feel as if he would never have a relationship again. What if no man ever wanted him? What if no one ever fell in love with him? What if all there was to his love life was a couple of break ups and pieces of a heart no one had known how to take care of?

So he did the next best thing and started dating random, attractive guys to avoid that feeling of loneliness that lurked in every corner of his life. He never kept them for too long and he didn't allow himself to get too attached. And every time one of these dinner parties rolled around, he would pick a cute guy that would look nice with his arm around his and take him as his date.

No one had teased him again.

But this time, he had completely forgotten about lining up some arm-candy.

Where was he going to find a date out of nowhere just hours before the party? He didn't like taking the same guy twice. And he didn't have time to just go out and meet someone who…

His eyes went wide.

* * *

Blaine was already sitting at the breakfast bar with a cup of coffee and reading the job listings in the newspaper when Kurt entered the kitchen, bare feet padding quietly over the apartment's wooden floors.

His hair was still messy from sleeping and he was wearing pajama pants and a dark blue short sleeve t-shirt. He looked so damn adorable that Blaine couldn't help but smile. "Good morning. Coffee's…"

But he never got to say what coffee was (Hot? Already cold?) because Kurt looked at him with what seemed to be apprehension in his beautiful blue eyes.

"Blaine," he said and he sounded a bit tense. "I need to ask you a really big favor."

* * *

_How the hell did I get into this?_

_Relax, Blaine. It isn't like this is a real date. That's not what he wants. He just doesn't want to go alone._

_I haven't been to a party in so long…_

_But I just couldn't say no. I owe him. He needs me._

_I would do anything for him._

* * *

For the first time in his life, Kurt was dressed and ready to leave before the person who was going to accompany him. And it wasn't that he had rushed through his usual routine. It was that Blaine was actually taking _forever_.

Kurt already knew Blaine well enough to be aware of how nervous the man was about unknown social situations. Blaine wasn't used to going anywhere fancy and he was always afraid of embarrassing Kurt. Kurt wished he hadn't decided to put him through all this stress so unnecessarily. He was a grown up, after all. If he so called friends wanted to mock him, he could always tell them to shove their opinions where the sun didn't shine, right?

Right. It was wrong to force Blaine into doing something he was clearly not comfortable with.

He started walking towards Blaine's bedroom to tell him he would go alone when the sound of hesitant footsteps announced Blaine had finally finished getting dressed.

"Look, Blaine, I'm…" Kurt started saying, but he forgot what he was going to say, why he was going to say it and even how to breathe, once he caught sight of the other man.

It was Blaine, but at the same time, the man in front of him didn't look anything like the Blaine he knew. The beautiful navy blue Armani pants and the white button up shirt were clinging to his body as if the clothes had been made for him. The first two buttons were open and Kurt could see a tiny bit of hair peeking out on Blaine's chest.

But even though all of that was amazing, those weren't the surprising elements. Blaine had shaved. His face looked soft, fresh and younger looking. It was so much easier to fully appreciate his strong jaw and his perfect lips without all the facial hair around them distracting him.

The usual unruly curls on top of his head were tamed, too. He had probably trimmed them a bit, because there was no way he would have managed to tame them in any other way. He had also applied some gel, or maybe some mousse (not being able to recognize a hair product was the perfect way to tell Kurt was absolutely wrecked at the moment), making his hair look manageable and smooth and just so… so… different.

Kurt didn't even realize he was gaping.

Blaine tugged at his cuffs, uncomfortable. "Is there something wrong with how I look?"

"Who?" Kurt asked vacantly, unable to take his eyes off Blaine's throat as the man swallowed.

"Me, Kurt," Blaine muttered, shifting on his feet. "Last time I did something with my hair, it was for my graduation. Does it look bad? Do I have time to fix it and…?"

Kurt blinked, his eyes now trailing along Blaine's thighs and the way the pants made them look so delicious. "You look amazing."

Blaine bit his lip, unsure. "I do?"

Kurt tried to shake himself out of his trance and managed an encouraging smile. "Yes. You definitely do."

Blaine seemed to relax a little bit. "Thank you." _Now or never, asshole. Tell him, tell him, tell him._ "You look beautiful," he choked out, before he could talk himself out of it, but he decided it was still good enough and gave himself a mental pat on the back, especially when Kurt blushed and looked down at his black, tight pants, pearly grey shirt and black, equally tight vest. He had a nice bronze brooch on his chest and Blaine thought maybe, at some point, he could use the brooch as an excuse to move closer to Kurt, saying he wanted to take a better look at it…

He was completely pathetic, he had to admit.

"Thank you," Kurt smiled brightly. _Fuck it, I'm taking him with me. He looks so good. I can't leave him at home after he went to all this trouble…_

They didn't talk much in the car and Kurt decided to fill some of the silence by turning on the radio. Blaine kept drumming his fingers on his knees and staring out the window. Kurt had his gaze fixed on the road, deliberately keeping it away from Blaine. The last thing he needed was to cause an accident in a busy New York City street because he had gotten distracted staring at how mouthwatering Blaine looked tonight.

By the time they got there, there were three cars already parked in the driveway. Brandon Nicholson, who was going to be their host this evening, lived in a quiet (as quiet as New York could get), expensive neighborhood. The house was a completely remodeled two story, narrow brownstone building that was at least fifty years old. Kurt and Blaine walked together to the front door and Kurt rang the doorbell before turning to Blaine.

"If I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, just let me know, okay?" He said in a rush. "They'll think we're… uhm, together, so… I may touch your arm or grab your hand or something from time to time…"

Blaine didn't have time to answer. The front door opened and tall, muscular, blonde guy smiled at them, immediately engulfing Kurt in his arms for a hug that somehow seemed too tight and too distant, at the same time.

"Kurtsy!" He exclaimed and Blaine thought he saw Kurt cringe a bit. "It's been a while since I saw you. So good that you could make it tonight. Come in, come in… oh, here's your date!"

They were barely a few steps into the house. Blaine delicately rubbed his hand on his thigh to make sure his palms weren't sweaty.

"Hi, I'm Blaine," he said in as friendly a tone as he could being as nervous as he was.

"Blaine," the guy directed his radiant smile towards him. "Nice to meet you. I'm Brandon." He then turned to nudge Kurt with his elbow. "What happened to that Italian model you brought last time?"

Kurt cleared his throat awkwardly as they took their coats and scarves off. "Oh. Uhm. It didn't work out. And he was French."

"It never works out according to you," Brandon laughed. He threw his arm around Blaine's shoulders and Blaine flinched a bit. "You better have fun tonight, Blaine, because this is the first and last time we'll be seeing you, if the pattern of Kurt's previous boyfriends applies to you, too!"

Blaine didn't like the way his stomach dropped at those words.

They moved to the living room area, where seven more people were seated. Blaine was quickly introduced to Mark and Bruce and their girlfriends, Hayley and Dana, Brandon's girlfriend, Pamela, and another gay couple, Derek and Ashton. No one seemed particularly warm when they greeted Kurt. it didn't seem as if they were saying hello to a friend they hadn't seen in a while. It was more as if they were just saying hello because they had to be polite.

Blaine picked up on that immediately.

They sat together on an empty leather loveseat close to the window. The house was really nice, clealy the luxurious home of a single man with lots of money. The enormous television filled most of one wall and there were a few musical instruments that looked completely untouched. Blaine's fingers ached to play them. He hadn't play in so long…

"So this is the new one," Hayley observed with a sly smile, nodding towards Blaine. "Where did you meet him, Kurt?"

Kurt placed a hand on Blaine's knee and squeezed. "Oh, it was just one of those lucky coincidences in life, really…" He answered vaguely.

"That means he doesn't remember because it was a drunk fuck," Bruce snorted and everyone else laughed. "Like that blonde twink you brought here once!"

Blaine shifted a bit until Kurt's hand released its tight hold a little.

Kurt rolled his eyes, nonchalantly. "Think whatever you want. At least I make sure I have some fun."

Blaine turned to look at Kurt. Something seemed so different about him all of a sudden… the way he was acting…

Kurt's comment started a discussion about what the different couples considered fun. They kept mocking each other and making really terrible jokes. Inevitably, that ended up as a conversation about sex. Blaine had managed to stay uninvolved until then, glad he had been ignored most of the evening. He had no idea how to talk to these people.

"So, Blaine," Ashton said, grinning, leaning with his elbows on his knees to look at him closer. "Tell us everything about Kurt. We've tried to get his boyfriends to confess if he has any weird kinks, but we've been stonewalled… until now…"

Blaine panicked. What the hell gave them the right to ask something as personal as that? And what was Blaine supposed to answer? He looked at Kurt, who was drinking a sip of red wine as if he didn't care at all what they were talking about.

"I've always had the feeling he's into slut shaming or something like that…" Derek commented, thoughtfully.

"Oh, honey, wouldn't you like to know," Kurt retorted with a mysterious smile.

Blaine wanted to get out of there. What was this? Why had Kurt wanted to come here?

"I'm still waiting for Blaine to answer the question," Dana sing-sang.

Kurt wrapped his arm around Blaine's neck and pulled him closer, talking in his ear just loud enough so everyone would hear. "You won't answer if you want some loving later, right?" And then he kissed his cheek, slowly, taking his time to peel his lips off Blaine's skin.

Blaine didn't know why he suddenly felt the need to cry.

"Could you guys excuse me for a moment? I need to use the restroom," he said in a voice that didn't sound anything like his.

"Sure," Pamela nodded, looking bored, and pointed to the hallway. "Second door on the left."

Blaine rushed in that direction and even through the closed door, he could hear the sharp laughter coming from the living room. How could Kurt want to belong to this group of people? Kurt was nothing like them, but… but he acted just like them, an asshole, when he was there. He was so different from the guy Blaine had been living with these past couple of weeks…

He splashed some cold water on his face and took a deep breath. It didn't matter if he liked them or not, if the real Kurt was the one sitting in that loveseat. Or was he the one who called him sweetheart and squeezed his hand to reassure him as he talked about the miseries he had gone through? Blaine was only there because of Kurt. He owed him.

They had moved to the dining room by the time Blaine returned. Kurt had saved him a seat beside him and he sat down, offering him a weak smile.

"Everything alright?" Kurt whispered so only Blaine could hear him.

Blaine only nodded, desperately wishing the night was over and they could go back to Kurt's apartment.

The voices of all the others kept mixing in multiple conversations. Blaine tried paying attention, but it was hard to follow it all.

Until one word managed to make its way into his ears.

"… and then this _homeless_ guy stopped by our table to ask if he could have our leftovers," Dana was saying, her tone absolutely disgusted. "We got the restaurant manager to kick him out immediately, but it ruined the meal. I was so afraid he'd steal something from us. I checked nothing was missing from my purse twice before we left, just to make sure…"

"I just don't understand why the city has so many useless people," Derek shook his head in disappointment. "New York is supposed to be the greatest city in the world. What does it say about it if it's full of those people sleeping in our beautiful parks or our building entrances?"

Kurt remained still, but Blaine could perceive how uneasy he felt right then. Blaine himself was having trouble breathing. Why was he still here?

"Isn't there a shelter for homeless people near your apartment, Kurt?" Brandon asked, pointing at him with his fork as he chewed some weird fish Blaine had never heard of in his life.

"Y-yes, there is," Kurt answered. No one seemed to notice the wavering of his voice.

"You should move somewhere else," Dana said. "What if you're coming home late one night and one sneaks into the building with you? I don't want to imagine what could happen…"

The sound of a chair being pushed back filled the dining room for a moment. All eyes centered on Blaine, who had stood up abruptly, his breath harsh. He couldn't hide the anger in his eyes.

"You are all simply disgusting," Blaine said before he could stop himself. "How dare you talk about people you don't even know and make assumptions about their lives as if you had the right to judge? Do you know how hard living in the streets is? Do you know how terrible it is to have to deal with the fucking cold and not know how you'll make it through the night because you can't find a decent place to sleep? Do you think they like living that way simply because they're lazy and decided it was better than getting a job? Who the fuck gave you people the right to talk like that?"

"Whoa, man," Brandon looked at him with wide eyes. He seemed amused. "Are you one of those damn human rights activists or something?" He turned to Kurt before he even had time to respond. "Where did you find this one, Kurt?"

"Do you want to know where Kurt found me? Fine, I'll tell you," Blaine wanted to throw things, make some noise, vent his rage. "He found me huddled in front of his building, trying not to freeze to death. He offered me a place to stay and probably saved my life. You'd all better get decontamination showers now! How horrible! You've been sitting at the table with a homeless dude!"

Everyone stared at him with wide shocked eyes.

Gosh, Blaine had never felt this humiliated in his whole life. Never. And he had plenty of humiliating experiences to pick from.

"So now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to leave now. I don't care for your company. It was definitely _not_ a pleasure to meet you all."

Blaine turned around and stormed through the hallway and out of the house without even pausing to grab his… well actually, Kurt's coat. He was used to the cold and he was so mad he didn't feel it at first. He just had to get away from those people.

He started walking, feeling an ache deep inside of him because Kurt wasn't following him. For a moment, he had hoped he would. He had hoped he would say something to support him, but he had kept his eyes on his untouched food, completely frozen.

Wasn't he an idiot, for falling in love with someone who clearly didn't give a shit?

He hadn't made it very far from the house when a car rolled to a stop next to him.

"Blaine!" It was Kurt in the driver's seat. "Blaine, please get in the car."

Blaine kept walking. "I'm sorry I ruined your dinner with your friends. Pretend you didn't see me just now and we'll go our separate ways…"

"Blaine, no," Kurt's voice was shivering. "It's freezing. You'll get sick. Please get in the car…"

Since Blaine didn't seem like he was going to oblige, Kurt huffed and climbed out of the car, grabbing Blaine's coat from the passenger seat.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Kurt said, looking at him pleadingly. "I've always known they were jerks, but tonight I've seen them as if I was looking at them through your eyes and I hated what I saw…"

"You're such a wonderful man. Why would you waste your time with them?" Blaine asked, unable to understand.

Kurt sighed, tiredly. "I've made mistakes, Blaine. I pushed the good people away. By the time I looked around, they were all I had left, and I thought they were better than having no one at all."

"That's stupid," Blaine muttered, bluntly, causing Kurt to chuckle.

"You're right. It is," Kurt hesitantly threw the coat over Blaine's shoulders, covering him and rubbing his arms to try and keep him warm. "I don't need them now, though. I have something so much better…"

Blaine looked at him, quizzically. "What?"

"You," he answered, shrugging, but smiling so widely his lips hurt. "You're the best friend I've had in a long while, Blaine. The most amazing guy I've ever met, actually. You're much more precious than all of them put together. And I wish I'd had the courage to stand up and speak my mind like you did."

Blaine couldn't help but smile softly at him.

Kurt reached out for his hand. "Can we please get in the car, now? We'll talk some more once we get home. Please? It's freezing out here!"

Blaine nodded and accepted his hand. He didn't know what else to do at this point.

* * *

As soon as they entered the apartment, Kurt hung their coats and then went off to his bedroom, saying he would get comfortable and be back in a minute. Blaine felt anxious, worried about what theywere going to talk about now. He truly didn't want to know what Kurt's friends had said once he'd stormed out.

He kicked off the beautiful shoes he'd borrowed from Kurt and dropped down onto the couch, looking up at the ceiling. Kurt had really said some nice things, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Especially since, in a moment of perception, he had admitted to himself that he was in love with Kurt.

Well, way to complicate things, Blaine.

Kurt padded back into the living room, wearing loose pajama pants and a white t-shirt. It was weird to see him like that. Kurt would very rarely leave his bedroom in the morning without getting dressed and styling his hair first. Blaine couldn't help but thinking he liked him better this way. It was more… natural.

Without saying a word, or even giving him time to make room for him on the couch, Kurt lay down next to him, snuggling against his side almost half on top of Blaine. His head rested on his chest and his arm snaked around Blaine's stomach as their legs tangled.

Blaine nearly stopped breathing.

"I feel like even if I apologize nonstop for the rest of the night, it won't be enough," Kurt said in a soft voice that vibrated through Blaine's chest. "I shouldn't have taken you there, especially since I didn't want to go myself in the first place."

"You seemed so different around them," Blaine commented, still trying to think straight as the warmth of Kurt's body spread through him. "For a moment, I wasn't sure which was the real Kurt, the one I've been seeing everyday, or that one."

Kurt frowned, thoughtfully. "I've never been able to be myself around them. I don't think anyone knows the real me, except for my family, a handful of friends that I haven't seen in a long time and… and you."

Blaine tried to ignore the rush of love that ran through his veins. "Why?" He asked before he could stop himself. Kurt raised his head enough to look Blaine in the eyes. "Why did you push the people you cared about away?"

Kurt settled back against him, sighing. Not even thinking about what he was doing, Blaine put his hand on Kurt's back and started rubbing it, slowly, soothingly. "I was blinded by my own dream. I was too busy trying to become this huge Broadway star, and by the time I finally achieved something big, I realized I was alone. I know it was entirely my fault." Kurt paused, but Blaine could feel there was more he wanted to say, so he waited. "Can I tell you a secret? I've never told anyone. Not even my dad, and I tell him everything."

Blaine loved the way his hand fit on the small of Kurt's back, so he let it there, tracing circles with his thumb over the thin, soft t-shirt. "You can tell me anything you want."

"I love being on stage," Kurt started, "but the life I imagined when I was a kid still in Lima doesn't look anything like this one."

It was Blaine's turn to frown. "What do you mean?"

"The shallow people trying to get close to me because I'm famous, having my picture taken even while I'm standing in line at the supermarket, not being able to trust anyone, going to boring parties that all look the same and feeling so numb…" Kurt enumerated tiredly. "I'm guessing it's probably not as bad as if I were in Hollywood, but… it all feels so empty. When I come home after a party, an event or even after someone stops me randomly in the street to tell me they like my work, I… I wonder why I don't feel gratified. It's like there's always something missing…" Kurt took a deep breath and shifted even closer to Blaine, even though it didn't seem possible. "I shouldn't be whining. I'm sorry. I don't want to sound ungrateful…"

"Hey, no," Blaine said, using his other hand to grab Kurt's hand and squeeze it. "You're allowed to not settle for a life that doesn't give you what you need …"

"I just…" Kurt sighed. "I wish I could have a lower profile. I don't want the kind of friends that makes you look cool if you hang out with them, but that are complete losers once you really get to know them. Those idiots you met today… gosh, Blaine. They're so egocentric and selfish."

"Yeah, I saw that," Blaine murmured darkly.

Kurt moved to get up on his elbow and be able to look down to Blaine. His eyes were full of regret. "I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you to stand up and talk to them like that. I wish I hadn't put you through it, I'm…"

"What happened after I left?" Blaine asked, without being able to stop himself.

Kurt stared at Blaine for a moment, as if he were evaluating whether to tell him about it or not, but he ended up deciding Blaine deserved the truth. "Well… they laughed, at first," he said bitterly. "They were scandalized, but they don't take anything that doesn't involve them seriously, so I'm not surprised they started laughing."

"I see," Blaine whispered, averting his gaze.

"So I took my glass of red wine and I emptied it on Hayley's beautiful white dress," Kurt added with a smirk…

_Hayley gasped and the laughter died immediately as theyall stared at Kurt in shock._

" _Now that I have your full attention," Kurt said, clearing his throat and trying to sound nonchalant even though he was fuming inside. "I'd like to say a couple of things. First of all, you're all nothing but huge bitches and assholes…"_

" _What gives you the right to…?" Hayley started, but Kurt grabbed Blaine's untouched glass and emptied it on her, too._

" _I'm talking here, sweetheart, so wait for your turn," he glared at her. "From now on, don't bother inviting me to your little parties. I'm done wasting my time with you…" He walked away from the table, getting ready to leave. He couldn't wait long if he wanted to find Blaine. "Blaine's one of the kindest people I've ever met and if you can't see that because you're busy being too judgmental, then fine, do whatever you want. But I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I like you for another minute. I don't know why I stuck around for so long."_

" _Hold on," Brandon smirked. "So, it's true? You're sleeping with a homeless guy?"_

" _He's not homeless anymore," Kurt said, over his shoulder, as he walked to the front door. "He lives with me."_

"Wait, what?" Blaine looked at him with wide eyes. "You… you _told_ them I live with you? Aren't they going to get the wrong idea about…?"

"Blaine," Kurt traced the outline of Blaine's jaw with his finger, smiling down at him. "Don't you see? I don't care what they think or if they tell anyone, not anymore. I'm done with them. We've been friends," Kurt rolled his eyes at the word, "for years and not once have they understood me. I've never been comfortable with them the way I… the way I'm comfortable with you."

Blaine's heart jumped in his chest in a way that was almost painful, but he smiled.

"You always say you're grateful for what I did for you," Kurt murmured, softly. "But I'm just as grateful for having you."

They could kiss now. It would be so easy. They were already so close and the moment seemed perfect. Kurt's hand was cupping his face and Blaine's was still on his back and they were staring at each other as if they hadn't ever seen something as beautiful in their lives as the other man in front of them.

But Kurt couldn't do this now. He rested his head on Blaine's chest again, getting comfortable and forcing himself to wait. It had been a painful night for both of them. He didn't want any remnant of humiliation, bitterness or sadness between them if they ever kissed…

 _When_ they kissed.

And it was all so damn complicated anyway…

They didn't say anything for a while. Blaine's hand began to move up and down his back again, slowly, causing shivers down his spine. It felt so nice being this close…

"Blaine?" Kurt muttered.

"Mm?" Blaine simply hummed, probably already half asleep.

"Can we…" Kurt hesitated nervously. "Can we sleep here, tonight? If you're not uncomfortable?"

Blaine felt his stomach clenching and unclenching. He had been thinking for the last few minutes how much he liked having Kurt in his arms and how unenthusiastic he felt about the idea of letting go of him to go to bed.

Feeling braver now that he was so sleepy and comfortable, he kissed the top of Kurt's head. "Of course we can sleep here."

He felt Kurt smiling against his chest. Blaine's arms tightened around him, keeping him in place, and it wasn't too long after that they both drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The sound of the phone chiming woke them the next morning. Kurt whined, his eyes still shut and nuzzled farther into Blaine's chest. Who dared disturb them when they were so warm and comfortable?

It kept ringing, so, still half asleep, Blaine reached for it blindly.

"'lo?" He mumbled.

Kurt regretted not grabbing a blanket or something before they fell asleep the previous night. He was cold and his feet were freezing. He scooted close enough to bury his face into Blaine's neck and he tucked his toes under Blaine's calf. He didn't listen to what the other man was saying. He just wanted to go back to sleep…

"Wait," Blaine blinked and tried to sit up, but Kurt groaned, displeased, and held him down. "Today? In two hours? Of course! Yes, yes, I'll be there!"

Kurt had no other option but to look at Blaine, frowning when he heard that. What was he even talking about?

Blaine hung up the phone and beamed at Kurt. "I have a job interview!"

"Oh my god!" Kurt almost fell off the couch in his excitement, but Blaine wrapped an arm around his waist and caught him. "Where? When? How? Tell me everything!"

Blaine chuckled, but he was clearly excited, too. "The Kraine Theatre! You know, that little place in 4th street! They need someone for the box-office!"

"Blaine" Kurt hugged him tightly. "This is awesome…"

"I-it's just an interview, but…" Blaine took a deep breath.

"It's a great start," Kurt grinned at him, happily. "When do you have to be there?"

"In two hours," Blaine looked frantically around, as if he didn't know where to begin.

"Okay," Kut nodded, untangled himself from the other man and stood up. "Let's have breakfast and then you can take a shower and get dressed. I'll drive you there…"

"It's not far from here. You don't have to…" Blaine started saying, but Kurt put two fingers on his lips to silence him.

"I really want to," Kurt said. "And… in return for my kindness, you'll let me pick which clothes you'll wear…"

"I knew there was a catch," Blaine protested, but he was still smiling. "We've already talked about the clothes, Kurt…"

"Please?" Kurt pouted.

Blaine immediately gave in.

* * *

Kurt knew he could've gone back to his apartment or to a coffee shop or something, but he didn't. Instead, he stayed in his car outside the theatre and waited.

And waited some more.

And then a bit more.

He was starting to get impatient. How long could an interview be? What if something was wrong? What if…?

But then he saw Blaine walking towards the car, with his eyes on the ground.

That couldn't be good, right?

Blaine opened the passenger side door and slipped into the car. He didn't say a word for a few seconds, as Kurt stared at him, anxiously. His hazel eyes were fixed on the street without really seeing anything.

Kurt was about to shake him back to reality when a low whisper reached his ears.

"I have a job, Kurt." And then he looked at him with a tiny, beautiful smile on his face and watery eyes.

Kurt inhaled loudly before letting out a yelp of pure happiness and basically launching himself at Blaine. He held the other man in his arms as Blaine cried softly. He tried to imagine what this moment probably felt like for Blaine, knowing that after so many years of life turning its back on him, things were finally starting to working out.

"Oh, sweetheart," Kurt kissed the messy curls on the top of Blaine's head. "I knew you could do it. Don't cry, ssh, it's alright!"

"This is because of you," Blaine murmured with his face pressed against the crook of Kurt's neck. "You… Kurt. You changed my life…"

"No, I just pointed you in the right direction a bit," Kurt buried his nose in Blaine's hair, wishing he could stay like that forever.

Blaine pulled away. There were tears clinging to his eyelashes. He was so breathtakingly beautiful. "You made it all possible," he smiled so happily that Kurt had to make a really big effort not to kiss him right there and then. "Even if you don't want to take the credit." Kurt rolled his eyes at him, but chuckled just as happily. "Do you know what this means? Gosh, Kurt… even if it's just a start, I could at least… I don't know, go to McDonald's and buy a BigMac, or buy a pair of jeans or shoes that actually fit… I could rent a little room of my own somewhere…"

Kurt's heart dropped at that. Blaine wanted to move out? Well, he couldn't stay forever with him, but…

He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, not letting them show on his face as he kept smiling at Blaine. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you," Blaine answered and Kurt knew he wasn't just thanking him for being happy for him or for driving him to his interview. He was thanking him for everything.

Kurt wondered, for a moment, if the time when they would say goodbye was suddenly too close.

* * *

When they were back at the apartment, and Blaine had calmed down, Kurt asked for all the details about the interview. With a coffee mug between their hands, they talked for hours. It was wonderful seeing Blaine daydreaming about the things that his future might hold.

Even if it meant that he would walk out that door to live his own life at some point.

He wouldn't start at the theatre until Friday, so he still had a few days to shake off his nerves and get ready. Kurt was teasing him about how they still had time to go shopping for some first-day-at-my-new-job clothes when Blaine glanced at the clock and noticed how fast time had passed.

"Kurt! You're going to be late for work!" He exclaimed, standing up as if he would get Kurt to the theatre himself. "I can't believe we've been talking for so long!"

"Actually, I…" Kurt avoided his eyes, a bit uncomfortable, although he didn't really know why. "I called the director while I was in the car, waiting for you."

Blaine seemed confused and he sat back down on the couch next to him. "Did something happen?"

"Last night happened," Kurt answered. "After we talked, I couldn't stop thinking and I realized I need a break. I need a break from all this that I call my life and that I'm not sure if I'm enjoying…"

"So… you quit the play?" Blaine's eyes widened in surprise.

"No… at least not yet," Kurt sighed. "I asked for some time off, but for now I want the possibility of going back if I realize that's what I really want." He shook his head, thoughtfully. "I just don't think I've been happy there lately. Not the way I thought I could be."

"That's very brave of you, Kurt," Blaine smiled warmly at him.

Kurt's eyebrows shot up all the way to his hairline. "Really? You don't think I'm being stupid and immature?"

"No," Blaine assured him, sweetly. "It takes a lot of courage to press pause in your life and try to figure out if you've found happiness. It's very admirable."

Kurt's face lit up with a blissful grin. He was relieved that Blaine understood, even if he couldn't really explain why his opinion mattered so much to him.

"I had another idea, too," he added, not able to hide his enthusiasm. "But I don't know if you'll be on board…"

Blaine tilted his head to the side, curious.

"So… when I asked you yesterday to go with me to that stupid, pointless dinner, I told you it would be fun and it clearly wasn't," Kurt said. He scooted closer to Blaine without even noticing what he was doing. "And I don't like to break promises. That's why I'd like us to go out tonight, have some fun, celebrate your new job…"

"Kurt, you don't have to do that," Blaine rolled his eyes fondly.

"But I want to!" Kurt insisted, bouncing a bit on his spot. "Come on! I'll even let you pick where we go!"

"Kurt…"

" _Blaaaaaine_ , please?" Kurt widened his eyes until Blaine felt like he was going to fall into them.

Blaine chuckled. Kurt was way too adorable for his own good. "Fine, fine."

"Great! Then, it's a date," Kurt smiled, before he realized what he had said…

They looked at each other, blushing.

When Kurt didn't correct himself, Blaine muttered, shyly agreeing: "It's a date."

* * *

"Turn right at the next one," Blaine said from the passenger seat and Kurt nodded.

Blaine had actually refused to tell him where they were going, but Kurt found himself not caring at all about their destination. He was enjoying the company and that was all that mattered to him right then.

When Blaine finally told him to park the car, Kurt's eyes went wide. He had been expecting to end up at some fancy restaurant with huge chandeliers hanging over the tables, a very expensive, very extensive wine list and gourmet food. That's what happened every time he let a guy choose where they went for a date, anyway.

But he had forgotten that Blaine wasn't just any guy.

"A bowling alley?" Kurt asked, clearly surprised.

Blaine was gazing at the huge neon sign on the roof with wide, bright eyes. "Yes! I haven't bowled since I was a kid and I thought it might be fun…" he turned to look at Kurt and his smile faltered. "But, uhm, we can go somewhere else if this isn't the kind of thing you are into…"

Kurt had to admit that he had never been a fan of wearing shoes that had been worn by countless people before him, but the expression in Blaine's face made him forget all about it. He grinned. "I was just worried you'd get upset when you lose."

Blaine's eyes narrowed, playfully. "Oh, it's on, Hummel."

They walked inside. The place was bigger than it seemed from the outside and it wasn't exactly crowded. It was a Tuesday night, so Kurt guessed it would be busier on the weekends. The sounds of people and of music coming from speakers somewhere above their heads, immediately filled his ears and he looked around, amazed. He hadn't been in a place as inviting as this one in years. It was nice to be away from the linen, silver, and crystal for one night.

He actually thought of his dad. This was exactly the kind of place where Burt Hummel would've felt comfortable. There wasn't anything stiff or elegant about it and Kurt realized that he felt immediately relaxed here. For the first time in a long time, he felt like no one in New York City was watching.

"There's an empty table there," Blaine pointed at a table, a little apart from all the others, were they wouldn't be disturbed.

"Perfect," Kurt said.

They got their shoes ( _why are they so warm? Oh my god, this is disgusting, Blaine_ ) before going over to the table. They chose their names for the board ( _I don't want to be Bla! I'm only going to use the consonants_ ) and then chose a ball.

Blaine was shockingly good considering how long it had been since he had played, and Kurt was a fast learner, so they realized they would have to be merciless if they wanted to win.

A waiter approached them after their second ball and they ordered a pizza and a couple of beers. Kurt was sure he hadn't had a beer since highschool, at a very tacky party one of his friends from Glee Club, Santana, had thrown in her backyard during senior year.

Kurt rolled the ball again (he refused to use any other than the purple one because it sort of matched his outfit) and cursed under his breath. "That stupid pin on the left never falls!"

"You have to swing your arm out a little before releasing the ball," Blaine said from the table, where he was gnawing on a very greasy slice of pizza (Kurt wasn't sure his thighs would survive the experience, but he had grabbed a slice, too).

"Not bad for my first time," Kurt grinned as he walked back to his seat. And fuck it, he grabbed a second slice. He was having fun.

"Watch and learn," Blaine winked at him, wiped his hands on a paper napkin and stood up.

He grabbed the ball and got in position (Kurt wasn't staring at his ass, of course not!) and then threw it, swinging his arm a bit at the very last possible second. All the pines went down and he turned to smirk at Kurt over his shoulder.

"Oh, shut up," Kurt huffed.

"Bad loser?" Blaine asked as he went back to take a sip of his beer.

"Very," Kurt admitted, biting his lip. Then he stood up to take his turn. There was a slight sway to his hips as he walked. "Good thing I always win," he added, with a flirty toss of his hair.

Blaine blushed, when Kurt caught him staring at his strut.

They kept playing like that, teasing each other, laughing, pretending they weren't staring at the other's ass every time they leaned over. They didn't notice the alley getting emptier and emptier as people started heading back home. They were too lost in their own world.

Kurt was about to lose by only one point and his pride had a problem with that. Pretending he didn't notice, he stepped over the line that marked where he should stand. As Blaine seemed distracted, he took two more steps ahead…

"Hey!" Blaine exclaimed. "That's cheating!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kurt mumbled, averting his gaze, but unable to keep the smile off his face.

"Take two steps back, come on!" Blaine demanded, laughing.

If Kurt was a bad loser, then Blaine was an obnoxious winner. As soon as Kurt guttered his last shot, Blaine jumped to his feet and fist-bumped the air.

"Oh, stop it! It's just a dumb game," Kurt rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance, but he actually found Blaine completely adorable. He looked so happy…

"It's only dumb when _you_ lose!" Blaine grinned at him.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Now, since I need some comforting after such a crushing defeat, I claim the last slice of pizza," Kurt declared with dignity.

The Springsteen song that had been filling the air for the past couple of minutes came to an end anc changed to an upbeat Elvis Presley tune. Blaine's eyes went wide. "I love this song!" He jumped to his feet and walked over to Kurt, grabbing his hand as he passed by and yanking him away from the table.

Kurt couldn't help but laugh. "What are you doing?"

"I haven't danced in ages and tonight I finally feel like it," Blaine answered as he spun Kurt under his arm. "And something tells me you know _exactly_ how to move, so come on!"

Still laughing, Kurt allowed himself to get lost in the music and started twirling Blaine and letting Blaine twirl him back. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had this much fun. He looked at Blaine and he seemed so free… Kurt rolled him into his arm and against his chest and then pushed him away.

It was all so… perfect.

But then, as he was about to take another step, the stupid shoes made Kurt stumble and he would've fallen face first into the floor if it weren't for Blaine catching him just in time, sliding his arms around his waist.

"Whoa, there!" Blaine's eyes were suddenly filled with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just these stupid…" Kurt straightened up, but immediately froze, realizing their faces were only inches apart, "shoes…"

They didn't even noticed when the song ended and another one started. Everything seemed to have changed so suddenly. The air wasn't filled with laughter, music and fun anymore. Something a lot more intense was creeping up, sneaking under their skin, rocking their bones. Their eyes were fixed on each other, blue on hazel, unmovable. Nothing else existed right then. Maybe nothing else had existed for a while.

The new song was slower, much slower. Perhaps some Norah Jones or Adele or another of those wonderful women with perfect velvet voices. Neither of them cared. Kurt let his hands settle on Blaine's shoulders, thumbs carefully brushing the base of his neck on either side. They kept dancing, swaying a bit. It seemed the right thing to do.

Blaine's arms tightened around his waist, pulling Kurt a bit closer. Sighing, Kurt dropped his head on Blaine's shoulder and took a deep breath. What was it? What was that sensation spreading all over his body, making his skin tingle? Why was it tugging at the corners of his lips and making his heart thump wildly in his chest?

Was that love? Was that happiness? Was it exactly what it feels like to have everything you've ever wanted right in your arms?

Without giving it much thought, Kurt turned his head to the side slightly and pressed his lips to Blaine's neck. Blaine's breath hitched and his fingers twitched where they were resting on Kurt's back. Kurt took it as a good sign and kept mouthing gently at the sensitive skin there. It was intoxicating.

When Blaine shivered against him, Kurt shifted enough to whisper in his ear. "Is this okay?"

"So okay," Blaine answered, swallowing hardly. "Kurt, you're so… and I'm so…"

He could feel Kurt smiling against his skin. "You're babbling, sweetheart."

"I can't think when you're doing that," Blaine choked.

"I can stop, if you want," Kurt muttered teasingly.

"Don't," Blaine's hands tightened around him. "I think I'd die."

"Well, we don't want that, do we?" Kurt smiled again, but pulled away anyway, eliciting a little whine from the other man. He rested their foreheads together. "Blaine, I… I like you. I really, really do."

Blaine seemed honestly shocked to hear that. "You do?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Kurt nuzzled their cheeks together. "Sometimes I feel like you woke me up from a long, long sleep. I was so numb before and I didn't even realized it…"

"Kurt…" Blaine was so moved that his voice wavered.

"You have no idea how wonderful you are." Kurt felt his chest tightening. He was ready to burst. He had so many feelings swirling around him, overwhelming him. "You're so gentle, and sweet, and gorgeous, and… oh, gosh, Blaine, please tell me it's okay if I kiss you…"

Kurt sounded almost in pain as he said that. Blaine's need was making him ache, too. He knew exactly how he felt.

Blaine nodded eagerly at him. "Yes, Kurt, please…"

Cupping his neck in his hands and letting his fingers brushed the outline of his jaw, Kurt surged forward, urgently pressing their lips together. He had intended to do it softly, at first, but he couldn't help himself. Blaine made him want so much that he didn't know how the hell he managed to keep breathing through it.

For a moment, Kurt wasn't aware of what his mouth was doing because he could only feel the way his heart was pounding in his chest. It was as if it was trying to rip through the skin and jump out. It made his ears buzz and his breath catch. But then Blaine was taking over his lower lip, worshipping it with his own and Kurt stopped worrying about his body not making it through the kiss. It would be a blissful death. He'd leave the world in this amazing man's arms any time.

In the back of his mind, Kurt thought what a perfect kiss it was. The slide of their lips was slick, but not too much, just enough to make it easier, and warm. Blaine's head was tilted just so their mouths could fit in the best way possible and Kurt had to lean his a little bit so Blaine wouldn't have to stretch too much. There was a remaining hint of pizza and beer, too, but it was mostly them. When Blaine's lips parted just enough for Kurt to slide his tongue inside, he could barely hold back a moan.

Blaine's grip on his waist was even stronger than before and Kurt let his fingers bury on the curls on the back of Blaine's neck, tugging at them gently.

God, he never wanted to stop kissing him…

The song changed again, quite abruptly. It sounded like heavy metal, which made no sense after such a soft, loving song. They pulled away, startled, their lips making a popping sound as they looked around and remembered where they were. They were both breathless, their chests heaving against each other, and still tightly wrapped in the other's arms. Neither thought of letting go.

A shy smile appeared on Blaine's face, his eyes avoiding Kurt's a little. Kurt rolled his, fondly. He put a finger on Blaine's chin and forced him to look up. "What if we just go home?"

The smile was still plastered there, adorable, bashful, so kissable. "Okay…"

Kurt pecked him quickly on the lips before pulling away entirely, although not without reluctance. They slipped into their coats and scarves and, just before walking to the door, Kurt extended his hand to Blaine.

Blaine stared at it for a moment, wide-eyed and so gorgeous that Kurt had to resist the impulse to kiss him again. It wasn't hesitation, but amazement in his eyes, as if he couldn't believe Kurt was offering his hand to him, as if it was a lot more than that, as if it was a bunch of promises that would come true just by intertwining their fingers together.

Blaine wasn't sure what they were getting into, but he grabbed Kurt's hand anyway, and allowed him to guide him out to the cold winter air.

* * *

Once they were inside the apartment and their coats were removed, they simply stood there, a few steps between them, staring at each other in the dim light of the living room. Something was different. They could feel it, making their skin feel tight and their breathing a little fast.

"Well…"

"I…"

They blushed and averted their eyes. Blaine bit his lip. "You first."

"I was going to ask you if you'd like to have a glass of wine with me," Kurt said, shrugging, as if it didn't really matter. "What were you going to say?"

"Oh," Blaine fidgeted, awkwardly. "Nothing. Nevermind."

"Blaine…" Kurt took a step forward, rolling his eyes. "You can tell me anything you w-…"

Blaine reddened even more. He avoided looking at Kurt's face, suddenly interested in his own feet and started talking quickly, as if he just wanted to get it over with before his embarrassment consumed him. "I just wanted to say that even if it was something that, uhm, didn't mean much to you or that you did as a spurt-of-the-moment- kind of thing, that I, uhm…" He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Kissing you is the best thing that has ever happened to me. That's all."

Kurt's heart melted at his words. He closed the remaining distance between them and wrapped Blaine in his arms, letting him bury his face in his neck and not caring when he fisted the back of his rather expensive shirt in his hands. Kurt ran his fingers through Blaine's curls gently and dropped a kiss on his temple. "Then maybe we should kiss some more."

Blaine lifted his head, slowly. His hazel eyes were blown and wide and so beautiful that Kurt felt his knees weakening at the sight. "Why would someone like you really want to kiss someone like…?"

"Stop it," Kurt put two fingers on Blaine's lips. "If you're about to say something bad about yourself, I don't want to hear it." Kurt looked sad and Blaine hated himself for causing that. "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you…"

"And I wish you could see yourself the way _I_ see _you_ ," Blaine said pointedly, kissing the tips of his fingers. "You're so perfect that I highly doubt you're just a human."

Kurt snorted and rolled his eyes again. "I'm far from perfect."

"No," Blaine muttered, and there was no hesitation in his voice. "Everything about you is perfect. Your voice, your eyes, your laugh, the way you dress, how brave you are, how generous and kind you are, how you managed to make me see the positive things in life again when all I could see was the negative, how you always say the right thing, how you... umph!"

Kurt cut him off by grabbing Blaine by the collar of his shirt and pulling him closer, kissing him deeply and passionately. Blaine could feel Kurt's tears on his own cheeks and the smile on his lips. They were breathless way too soon and Kurt ended the kiss, but he kept trailing his lips down Blaine's jaw and neck. "No one's ever said anything like that to me before…"

Blaine frowned, confused. "None of your boyfriends ever told you how stunning and unique you are? What was wrong with them?"

"Oh," Kurt blushed. "Well, they, uhm. I haven't had a real boyfriend in years. And the two I had in college weren't exactly honest with me, so… even if they would have told me, I wouldn't have believed it…"

Blaine understood then that those guys Brandon had mentioned during the dinner party had been nothing but casual hook ups and his stomach twisted. What if he ended being a casual hook up, too?

Even if it broke his heart, he would at least have the chance to know what it felt like to be with Kurt.

It sounded like a really bad idea, but he knew that if the moment ever came, he wouldn't be able to say no to him.

"Do you believe it if I say it?" Blaine asked in a hopeful tone.

Kurt smiled shyly. "I think I actually do…"

Blaine, a bit hesitantly at first, brushed some hair off Kurt's forehead before leaning slowly, giving time for Kurt to pull away if he wanted to, and kissed him fully on the mouth. It only took a second for Kurt to start kissing back, but when he did, their arms flew around each other, as if they couldn't bring the other close enough.

The desperation and overwhelming need flooding through their bodies had them shaking and gripping at clothes, hands, arms, hair. Kurt's lips on Blaine's throat felt like the most amazing thing in the whole damn world, and Blaine was about ready to simply turn into a pool of desire and love right there on the living room floor.

They were panting into each other's mouths when they realized they needed to stop even if it was the last thing they wanted to do. Their eyes met and they couldn't hold back huge, bright smiles that took over their faces and lit up the apartment.

Kurt leaned against Blaine's chest, nuzzling their cheeks together and humming in contentment. He finally noticed they were still standing just a few steps from the front door. He kissed Blaine's jaw chastely, in comparison with their last kiss. "You can say no if you don't want to, but…"

"Yes," Blaine muttered, interrupting him.

Kurt chuckled adorably. "You don't even know what I was going to say yet!"

"I still say yes," Blaine cupped his face with his hands. Gosh, Kurt was so beautiful… how had he ended up in his arms?

"Silly," Kurt said, sighing dreamily. "I was just wondering if you'd sleep with me tonight. It feels too good to let go…"

Blaine bit his lip, trying to hold back a bashful smile.

"We don't have to do anything," Kurt immediately said, trying to ease his obvious concern. "Just sleep, Blaine. I just want to hold you all night…"

Blaine ignored the crazy, loud beats of his heart and finally nodded. "Of course."

Kurt yawned (okay, no, he really he was too cute for his own good) and grabbed Blaine's hand, guiding him wordlessly down the hall and into his bedroom. Blaine felt as if he was being granted access to one of the world's most sacred places. Kurt didn't even bother turning the lights on. The moon, the stars and the everlasting glow from New York lights in the window was all they needed.

Blaine stayed standing, awkwardly, in the middle of the room, as Kurt unbuttoned his shirt and pants, and kicked his shoes off, hissing in relief. Kurt turned to look at Blaine when he was in nothing but his boxer briefs. They both felt grateful for the lack of light right then, since they blushed so intensely their faces were burning.

"I'm going to go through my skin care routine very quickly, okay?" Kurt announced, walking towards the bathroom. "Get comfortable. I'll be right back," and before he closed the door behind himself, he said, "I sleep on the left side."

Blaine smiled as he watched him disappear and then, with a shuddering breath, he took his clothes off. He took his time to fold both his and Kurt's clothes neatly and put them on a chair. Then he lined his and Kurt's shoes under it, too, before turning to the big bed on the opposite side of the room.

He removed the decorative pillows to the chaise longue by the window, before pulling the covers open. The sheets were the softest Blaine had ever felt, and that was saying something, because the ones in the guest bed room were amazing, too. He slipped under them, practically moaning in pleasure as they caressed his skin.

"I assume from those noises that you like my bed," Kurt commented from the bathroom's doorway.

Blaine bit his lip again, just as bashfully as a few minutes ago. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Kurt shrugged, turned the light in the bathroom off, and walked towards the bed. "It's great, actually. It means it'll be easier to convince you to stay with me every night."

Blaine rolled on his side so he would face Kurt as the other man got into bed, too. "You think I'd sleep here just for the sheets? I have a much better reason."

Kurt smiled lazily, throwing his arm around Blaine's waist and pulling him closer. "The pillows?"

"Well, yeah… they're insanely fluffy," Blaine answered teasingly, causing Kurt to giggle and hide his face on his chest. Blaine kissed the top of his head. "It's you," he added more seriously. "The reason is always you."

Kurt snuggled against him contentedly. "I think I want to keep you," he muttered, already half asleep.

Blaine rubbed his hand up and down Kurt's naked back, loving how smooth and warm the skin felt against his palm. It was so nice there, cocooned under the blankets with him, surrounded by Kurt's scent everywhere, in the bed, in his body, in his world.

Kurt's breath had already evened out and he was deeply asleep when Blaine finally replied, feeling his heart cracking at the overwhelming need to never leave this man's arms. "Please, do."


	6. Chapter 6

It was cloudy the next morning. The light sneaking into the room was pale and watery, as if ran would soon fall over New York City. Kurt woke up feeling warm and happy and as soon as he opened his eyes, he remembered exactly why that was.

Blaine was sleeping next to him.

Kurt nearly freaked out, finding a half naked guy in his bed. He had always preferred that his one-night stands were gone by morning. But he was oddly calm, being wrapped in the arms of this man, who wasn't a stranger anymore. He couldn't be a stranger when he was holding Kurt's heart in his hands.

Blaine looked immensely peaceful. Kurt had never noticed how long his eyelashes were until just now. They lay on his cheeks, dark and beautiful. All of Blaine was beautiful, actually. Kurt allowed his eyes to trail down a little, to see where his head had been resting, not even five minutes ago, on Blaine's broad chest, dusted with a bit of hair. Blaine had managed to gain a bit of weight in the time he had lived with Kurt, but he was still very, very thin. His waist was actually tiny.

Looking back up to Blaine's face, Kurt focused on his lips and remembered how amazing it had been to finally kiss them the previous night. He didn't know how the hell he had gathered the courage to take that giant step in their relationship, but he sure as hell was happy he had.

Blaine inhaled softly and opened one lazy eye. When he found Kurt hovering over him, he let a sweet smile appear on his face. "For a moment I thought last night was a dream…"

"Nope," Kurt grinned down at him.

"I can see that," Blaine reached to tangle his fingers into Kurt's messy bed-hair. "You were staring at me."

"I was _not_ ," Kurt said airily, but, gosh, he was so happy that he couldn't keep a straight face.

"Yes, you were," Blaine insisted, teasingly. "You're a creep."

Kurt smacked him on the shoulder playfully before pouting. "Stop it."

Blaine felt a little bolder (probably because he was still half asleep), so he perched himself up on his elbows and moved forward to nibble on Kurt's lower lip. "Uh, uh."

Kurt's breath hitched. He was already in a delicate situation, making sure his hips weren't anywhere close Blaine so he wouldn't feel his blatant morning erection pressed against him. But this? Oh, this was unexpected and so, so good.

Kurt was unable to hold back a moan when Blaine's teeth became a bit more insistent and then he soothed his lip with his tongue. " _Blaine_ …"

Blaine startled at that and dropped back against the pillows, wide-eyed. "Oh, whoa. Sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No, don't apologize," Kurt swallowed, hard. He let one of his hands wander down Blaine's side and back up. He wanted to worship that body. "You have no idea what you do to me…"

Blaine's eyes went immediately darker. He licked his lips. "What do I do to you?"

Kurt shifted enough to press his hips against Blaine's thigh. Blaine gasped and Kurt whimpered at feeling his body against him, even though it was far from being all he wanted.

"I just want to kiss you everywhere," Kurt confessed. Having all that perfect, tan skin at his disposal and not doing anything about it was killing him. "Can I?"

Blaine took a deep breath and nodded shakily. "God, yes."

Kurt smiled and started kissing his jaw, working his way to his ear very slowly. Blaine's stubble was coming back and Kurt loved the contrast between his soft lips and Blaine's scratchy skin. He took his time licking, nibbling, sucking on the sensitive spot behind his ear and enjoyed the breathy sounds he was eliciting from Blaine. Next, he trailed back down along his neck, until he found the perfect place where his mouth fit against Blaine's collarbone.

"Kurt," Blaine groaned. "That's…you're…"

"Do you need me to stop?" Kurt asked, at the same time as he sucked a mark right there.

"No," Blaine almost whined. "You have no idea what you do to me…" he mumbled, trying to sound teasing, but only managing to sound hoarse.

Kurt smirked at him, although it was obvious he was just as affected as Blaine was by this. "Really?"

Blaine's brain was fuzzy. He couldn't control his body, his filter or his thoughts. Kurt had already made him come undone with just those burning kisses. Maybe that was the reason why he grabbed one of Kurt's wrists and guided his hand down, until his knuckles brushed against his hard-on through the thin cotton of his underwear. "Really," he moaned.

Kurt would've recognized, if it wasn't because he was so painfully turned on, that the noise that escaped him then was utterly pathetic. Knowing that he was the one causing Blaine to look like this, so lost and wild and careless at the same time, sent a shot of bliss through him. He leaned down and sucked one of Blaine's nipples into his mouth without any sort of warning. Blaine cried out and his hips bucked up on their own accord.

Kurt's mind was immediately filled with images of Blaine bucking his hips up to meet his, to thrust into him… and he almost came just from that. "Blaine…"

"Oh, Kurt, don't stop that…"

Kurt hummed and licked around the other nipple. "Would you fuck me?"

Blaine whimpered. He cupped Kurt's face with his hands and made him look at him. "You… you really want that?"

"So bad," Kurt said, urgently.

Blaine did his best to catch his breath and think as clearly as possible. He _really_ wanted this. Even if it was only a one time thing… even then, he had to know what it would feel like to be completely connected to Kurt. He brought him in for a kiss before answering. "Yes, okay. Yes."

Kurt beamed down at him and it should've been illegal to look so cute and so hot at the same time. He reached towards one of the night-stands for the lube and a condom and dropped them on the bed where he could reach them easily.

Blaine was suddenly more nervous, than he¿d ever been in his life. "W-what should I do?"

Kurt, who had been busy returning his full attention to Blaine's collarbone, looked up at him, trying to hide his shock. "You've never…"

"Didn't really get the chance," Blaine said, fidgeting a bit and blushing.

Kurt's face softened. He peppered Blaine's cheeks, nose, forehead and lips with tiny, sweet kisses. "Then I'm going to make sure this is perfect for you." Kurt sat up and hooked his fingers on his underwear's waistband, pulling them off in one swift motion. Blaine forgot how to breathe as Kurt kneeled naked beside him, his gorgeous, flushed cock bobbing lightly against his stomach, beads of pre-come already leaking down the head.

Blaine had never wanted to put his mouth on anything so badly. He was eager to taste, to learn, to feel everything about Kurt. "You're breathtaking."

Kurt bit his lip, and his bashful expression seemed so out of place when he was naked, aroused and occupied with pouring lube on his fingers. "Thank you…" He straddled Blaine's thighs. "Relax and tell me if you want me to stop. I'll worry about the rest."

Blaine wasn't sure what Kurt meant until Kurt was kissing the center of his chest and reaching behind himself to circle his entrance and tease himself… "Kurt…"

Blaine spent the next few minutes forcing his eyes to not miss a second of what Kurt was doing. Even though he couldn't see perfectly, he could watch the way Kurt's hips pushed back as he introduced another finger, the way his hips gyrated as he hummed in pleasure. Kurt never stopped kissing him through it, everywhere he could reach, flicking his tongue around his nipple or earlobe or letting it trace his own lips.

Finally, Kurt removed his fingers, whining at the loss. "I'm going to take these off now, okay?" He looked at Blaine for permission as he toyed with the band of his boxer briefs.

Blaine's only response was to tilt his hips up to help him. Kurt smiled as he dropped them on the floor. His hand didn't hesitate at holding Blaine, closing his fingers around him, as if he was testing his weight. He stroked him twice, torturously.

"So beautiful…" Kurt leaned down and kissed his abdomen. He loved the feeling of the taut muscle against his lips.

Blaine panted harder and harder the closer Kurt's mouth got to his cock. When Kurt licked along the underside, he moaned brokenly. Kurt realized that he couldn't tease him any longer. Blaine was barely clinging to the edge of his control with only his fingernails and if they wanted to go all the way, he needed to give him some time to calm down.

Kurt kissed him softly, keeping their bodies apart and putting all the sweetness and love he had in him into that kiss. Blaine's breathing evened a bit and they smiled at each other with passion-clouded eyes.

"Why don't you sit up against the headboard?" Kurt proposed and Blaine hurried to oblige, pushing pillows out of the way and kicking the blankets to the bottom of the bed. Kurt chuckled. "Take it easy, sweetheart. We have all the time in the world."

Blaine watched, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood, as Kurt rolled the condom on his cock and then slicked him with lube. Blaine whimpered, his light touch too much and not enough all at the same time.

Kurt straddled his lap, spreading his legs as wide as he could and burying his fingers into Blaine's curls, tugging gently. "Are you sure you…?"

"Yes," Blaine replied, with not even the slightest hint of doubt in his voice. "I want this. I want you. Please, I'll die if you stop now."

"I want you, too," Kurt murmured as he felt Blaine position his cock against his entrance. He sank on to it slowly, tantalizingly. "Mm, so much…"

"Kurt," Blaine choked out. The pressure, the slippery smoothness, the heat… it all felt _so_ incredibly good.

Kurt bottomed out and stilled, letting their mouths slide together in a desperate, wet kiss. He allowed some time for both of them to adjust before he started rising and dropping back on Blaine's lap. Their moans soon filled the room and Kurt rested his forehead on Blaine's, watching the way Blaine's eyes closed heavily, how the pleasure made the muscles in his face, his shoulders twitch so hypnotically.

It felt so different from all the other times Kurt had done this. It wasn't just the physical connection that was overwhelming him, but it was the emotional one too. He found himself linked to Blaine in a way he had never been to anyone else before.

He was so in love with him that he could feel his heart ready to burst into flames.

The heat of their imminent orgasms enveloped them. Kurt could feel his thigh muscles complaining, resenting the stretch as he moved faster but he didn't mind at all. Blaine was meeting his every thrust, hitting that spot inside of him and sending jolts of pleasure all through him.

Kurt knew all it would take for Blaine to come was for him to clench around him. He wanted to see him fall over the edge before falling himself. He watched as Blaine threw his head back, his lips parted, as a string of gasps, moans and Kurt's name escaped through them, when he tightened on him hard. Kurt didn't miss one second of it, and only when Blaine stopped shaking, he finally let go himself, not even touching his own cock, but coming from the delicious way Blaine had filled him, pulsing inside of him.

Kurt rode his own orgasm then, frantic, desperate, so incredibly beautiful. Spurts of come painted Blaine's chest and stomach as much as his own. Blaine didn't take his eyes off him, afraid to miss any of it. Kurt's pale skin was flushed and sweaty, his hair falling on his face and his lips swollen and pink from all the kisses.

They held each other as their heart rates slowed, stroking backs, hair, arms, thighs. They shared a few lazy kisses, still too breathless to speak, enjoying the silence around them and the warm bliss filling them both.

Kurt's thighs were quivering in agony now, so he rolled to Blaine's side and they lay entwined on the bed together, in the mess of damp sheets. Blaine wouldn't stop kissing him. His lips were everywhere: on Kurt's shoulders, the top of his head, his cheekbones, his mouth, even his eyelids. Kurt smiled, deliriously happy.

After a few minutes, they felt their limbs regaining strength and Kurt pulled himself up to look at Blaine. "What would you say to a shower? I don't know how much longer I can take all this sweat and stickiness."

Blaine nodded, sex-dazed. "Whatever you want."

Kurt giggled. He stood up and grabbed Blaine's hand, tugging at it to drag him out of bed. "Come on. We'll have breakfast once we're cleaned up. I'm starving."

"Me, too," Blaine answered and then started nibbling on Kurt's neck, pretending to be devouring it. It sent tickles all over Kurt's body and he started laughing, trying to push him away.

"Stop it!" Kurt ran then and Blaine chased him, squeals of laughter echoing in the bathroom.

A few minutes later, the sound of the shower wasn't mixing with giggles anymore, but with new moans. Breakfast could wait a bit longer.

* * *

The next few days were a journey of mutual exploration. They barely put clothes on to get take out, so they wouldn't starve to death. The rest of the time was used allowing their lips to find ever new sensitive spots in their bodies they didn't know existed, raising goosebumps on the other's skin, with the soft touch of fingertips, on pushing each other to the highest peaks of pleasure either of them had ever experienced before.

Blaine learned how to relax and open up to let Kurt slide into him, how to kiss Kurt to make him desperate for more, how he liked to touch him. Kurt discovered Blaine's taste and the most perfect sounds he made and how needy he became when Kurt sucked on his pulse point.

It was all so idyllic.

They forced themselves back to reality when Friday came and Blaine needed to start at his new job. His nerves and excitement were adorable, as he paced the kitchen babbling about how he was probably going to ruin everything on his very first day. Kurt caught his wrists when Blaine passed near his side during his endless pacing and tugged him closer.

"Would you calm down?" He said, chuckling. "You won't screw anything up. Now stop moving so I can fix your bowtie."

Blaine took a few deep breaths as Kurt's fingers worked swiftly on the bowtie. It was the green one he had bought for him on their shopping trip. Once it looked acceptable, Kurt leaned and kissed it right on the middle. Blaine frowned. "Why did you do that?"

"For good luck," Kurt smiled at him and then pecked him on the lips. "And that one's in case you need some extra luck."

Blaine stepped closer until he could drop his head onto Kurt's shoulder. He nuzzled his face against the crook of his neck. "Thanks. I just can't help feeling like this."

"It's okay," Kurt wrapped his arms loosely around Blaine's waist. "Everyone's intimidated on their first day at a new job. It'll be a lot better tomorrow, I promise."

"I know it will," Blaine nodded, before lifting his head to kiss Kurt, long and intense. He needed it to get through the day.

When they pulled apart, Kurt's voice was a tad hoarse. "If you don't leave right now, you'll be late. Are you sure you don't want me to drive you there?"

Blaine shook his head. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Kurt walked him to the door and watched him slide into his coat. It was obvious Blaine was still terribly nervous, so he pulled him into a hug before ushering him out the door while wishing him good luck one last time.

Once Kurt was alone, he dropped down on the couch, hugging one of the throw pillows to his chest and thinking, for the first time, about the last few days. It was surprising how natural it felt for them to go from friends to... whatever they were now. Kurt felt stupid admitting (even to himself) that what he had with Blaine meant a lot more to him than any of the other guys he'd ever dated and that scared him. He was cared of getting in too deep and getting hurt again. He couldn't imagine Blaine hurting him, but... hadn't he thought that about his past boyfriends, too?

Realizing that he needed to keep himself busy before he went crazy, Kurt stood up and walked to his bedroom. As an idea formed in his head, he sighed.

Maybe he already was head over heels in love with Blaine.

* * *

That night, Blaine walked through the front door, smiling, anxious to tell Kurt about his day. He hung his coat and scarf on the closet before he looked for him. The living room was empty, so he went straight to the kitchen, where he found Kurt standing by the stove, wearing an apron on top of his clothes and stirring something in a sauce pan.

"Hey!" He said happily.

Kurt turned around, smiling brightly at him. "Well, hello! How was your first day?"

"It was fantastic! Everyone at the theatre is so nice!" Blaine replied.

"I told you there was nothing to worry about," Kurt turned his head and pursed his lips, silently asking for a kiss. Blaine complied immediately. "Dinner will be ready in five minutes. Why don't you wash up and then tell me everything while we eat?"

"Sounds perfect," Blaine answered and kissed him again before disappearing down the hall to the bathroom.

It hit Blaine as he was washing his hands that the little exchange between him and Kurt just now had felt so... so _domestic_. A warm sensation ran through his body. Maybe they could have this? Waiting for each other with dinner every night, taking turns to do the chores, going to bed together and waking up next to each other every morning? Maybe they could share a life?

Blaine sighed dreamily. That's what he dearly wanted. After being alone and rejected for so long, his biggest dream was to have a life with someone who loved him. He could throw in a couple of kids, a steady job and a little house somewhere quieter than Manhattan...

Yeah, it sounded amazing, but he was still far from having it.

He went back to the kitchen, where Kurt was opening a bottle of wine.

"Dinner's on the table, sweetheart," he announced as he grabbed two wine glasses. "We're eating on the dining room tonight."

Blaine arched an eyebrow. They had never eaten in there before. Kurt said he kept the dining room for special occasions because the kitchen felt a lot more comfortable for everyday meals. Curious, Blaine followed him to the next room, and as soon as he crossed the threshold, he found himself speechless.

The table was beautifully set with Kurt's favorite tableware. The room was dimly lit, and two slender, white candles were placed in the middle of the table. Soft music played in the background.

"Kurt..."

"I thought you would appreciate a nice night, with homemade food and some wine after such a stressful day," Kurt said before Blaine could even put his thoughts together. "I hope it's not too much."

"You... You did all of this for me?" Blaine asked, amazed.

"Of course, silly," Kurt leaned to kiss his cheek. "Who else would I do this for?"

"You didn't have to, Kurt, I..."

Kurt cut him off with another kiss, this time right on the lips. He put the glasses on the table and then grabbed Blaine's hand and guided him towards one of the chairs. "I wanted to. Now, let's eat before it gets cold."

Blaine watched as Kurt took the seat opposite him. The delicious smell of the food was all around them and Kurt looked beautiful, as usual.

"You're incredible, have I told you that already?" Blaine muttered, enamored.

Kurt's lips curled up into a playful smile. "I think might have mentioned it a few times last night, actually."

Blaine felt his cheeks blushing. "Well... Yeah. You were amazing last night, too."

"Enough about that," Kurt murmured, biting his bottom lip bashfully. "Tell me everything! What did you do? Did you meet a lot of new people?"

Kurt's enthusiasm was so heartwarming that Blaine wanted to get up, walk to him and wrap him in his arms to never let him go.

Instead, he told him everything and allowed himself to slip more and more into his domestic fantasy, and spent half the night imagining he wasn't sitting across the table from this wonderful man he had just met weeks ago.

He imagined he was sitting across the table from his future husband.


	7. Chapter 7

As the weeks passed, Blaine wished he could be bolder. Usually, intimate moments between them were initiated by Kurt. Only then would Blaine allow his body to respond to what Kurt asked of him. It was as if he was waiting for Kurt's permission, even though deep down inside he knew Kurt wanted him to kiss him, to touch him.

Blaine wasn't sure what changed that morning. Maybe it was that Kurt looked irresistibly exquisite all spread out on his silky sheets, with the faintest ray of sunlight falling on his pale skin from the window. His lips were slightly parted and his hair was a mess. There were a few purplish marks on his neck and collarbone, showing where Blaine's mouth had lost control the previous night.

Blaine sat up to take in the wonderful sight next to him. The sheet was covering Kurt down from his stomach and it was a little tented where his morning erection caught Blaine's attention.

Careful to not wake Kurt up, Blaine lifted the sheet and gently moved it to the end of the bed. His mouth watered at the sight of Kurt's gorgeous half-hard cock. With a quick glance at Kurt's face, he curled his fingers around him and gave a soft stroke. Kurt exhaled a ragged breath, but didn't wake up.

Encouraged, Blaine moved to sit between Kurt's legs. He leaned and pressed his face to the place where Kurt's thigh met his crotch. He smelled so wonderful there, so... so _Kurt_.

After dropping a few quick kisses to that spot he adored, he sucked the head of Kurt's cock into his mouth, gently. Kurt moaned a little louder, still asleep. Blaine felt him slowly hardening against his tongue and sunk a bit lower to feel the tip brushing against the soft part of his palate.

Blaine had presumed he would enjoy doing this to another guy since he first realized he was gay, but he had never imagined he would love it as much as he did. He loved the weight and the stretch of his lips and, oh, the glorious taste. But, gay as he was, he couldn't imagine himself doing this with any other man. It was only Kurt he wanted. Blaine knew, deep down inside of him, that Kurt was _it_ for him. There wouldn't ever be anyone like him, so there was no point in looking any farther.

Blaine bobbed his head up and down, just the way he loved when Kurt was the one doing this to him, and elicited a loud, needy whimper from the other man. He smiled (as much as he could smile when there was a cock buried in his mouth) and licked from the base to the head, before lapping at the slit.

Kurt's hands were suddenly in his hair, tugging, pulling, desperate. " _Blaine_ …"

Blaine pressed his thumb to the thick vein on the underside and looked up at Kurt with dark eyes. "Good morning."

"Oh gosh, don't stop…" Kurt pulled on his hair again, guiding his mouth back to his cock, aching for more.

Blaine grinned before sinking back down. Kurt was keening, begging, already so close. He spread his legs even farther apart and planted his feet on Blaine's back, forcing him closer. His cock slid a bit deeper, and Blaine breathed sharply through his nose, using his hand to cover what he didn't dare fit in his mouth. He circled the head with his tongue in an upstroke and Kurt let out an animal growl. Blaine had to put his arm over his stomach to keep him still.

"Please, Blaine…" he murmured, thrashing against the sheets, throwing his head back and trying to arch towards Blaine's mouth.

Blaine pulled away until only the tip was between his lips. He stared at Kurt with half-lidded eyes as he sucked, enjoying the taste of Kurt's pre-come on his tongue. Kurt's grip on Blaine's hair became almost painful, and with an ecstatic scream, he came down Blaine's throat, suddenly, intensely.

Moaning in surprise, Blaine did his best to swallow it all. Kurt was shaking under him, and when his sensivity became too much, he pulled off him and started placing kisses on his thighs, stomach, hips, everywhere he could reach before moving back up to be face to face with him.

Kurt's eyes were wide and still a bit sleep-confused, but he was glowing the way only a mind-blowing orgasm could make him glow. "Whoa," he let out a sharp exhale.

"Was that okay?" Blaine asked, a bit worried, as he stared down at him. Now that it was over he was wondering if he had crossed some line he wasn't supposed to cross…

"Okay? I…" Kurt blinked at him. "Blaine, I don't think I've ever come so hard and so fast in my life."

"So it was a little _better_ than okay?" Blaine smiled shyly.

Kurt rolled his eyes and pulled him in for a kiss. He moaned a bit at the taste of himself in Blaine's tongue. "It was _fantastic_." He brushed the curls off Blaine's face and leaned to whisper in his ear. "You should do that more often."

Blaine groaned, his neglected erection twitching and aching between his legs. "Oh, I will…"

"I probably should help you out with this…" Kurt purred as he put his thigh against Blaine's crotch, making him thrust against it involuntarily.

The kisses became more heated and frantic. Blaine's hands settled on Kurt's hips and he used them as leverage to thrust harder and harder against his leg. Kurt wrapped his tongue around his and pulled it into his own mouth to suck on it. Blaine was sure he had a fever. His skin hot and sweaty, and almost dizzy with want…

A sound that neither of them expected to hear made them stop just when Kurt was going to put his legs around Blaine to slot their groins together and find a better angle. It was the bedroom's door opening…

"Kurt, are you awake? We… oh my god!"

That shriek could only belong to Kurt's stepmom, Carole. It startled them both so much that they froze and Kurt looked over Blaine's shoulder to see his dad peeking into the room to find out what had scared his wife so much. It was Kurt's turn to shriek now, and in his hurry to hide out of his father's sight, he rolled right out of bed, taking Blaine down with him and making both of them fall to the floor with a thump.

Kurt untangled himself from Blaine and sat up, his back hitting the night-stand behind him and looked at his parents with wide, panicked eyes. "What are you two doing here?"

"We… wanted to see you… uhm, visit with you," Burt Hummel said, visibly uncomfortable. "Who is that?"

"Burt, let's give them some privacy…" Carole started tugging at her husband's arm.

"Privacy for _what_?" Burt grunted, frowning, displeased.

"To get dressed," Carole said pointedly. "Come on. Let's go to the kitchen. _Now_."

Kurt had always loved his stepmother, but never as much as he did then as he watched her close the door.

Blaine was on his back, staring at the ceiling. His eyes were the size of saucers and his chest was heaving, as he tried to catch his breath. "So… I guess those are your parents?"

"Yeah…" Kurt nodded, still a little shocked.

"They, uhm…" Blaine wasn't blinking. Kurt wondered if he had blinked at all since Burt and Carole had burst into the room. "They saw my ass."

Kurt couldn't help but laugh at that. He moved until he could hover over Blaine again and smiled teasingly at him. "At least you have a wonderful ass…"

Blaine blushed and averted his gaze, suddenly very interested on the empty space under Kurt's bed. "Kurt…"

"Don't be embarrassed," Kurt dropped a kiss on his temple. "I'm not thrilled my parents walked in on me having sex, but I'm an adult and I have a sex life. If they don't want to see it, they should learn how to knock on the door…"

"I still think I'm going to hide under your bed until they leave…" Blaine began crawling, but Kurt stopped him, putting all his weight on him.

"Stop it!" He chuckled. "I know my dad looks scary, but he really isn't. You don't need to hide from him."

Blaine's heart drummed wildly in his chest. Was Kurt trying to tell him he wanted him to meet his parents? Was their relationship serious enough for Kurt to want to take that step? Blaine felt a smile tugging at his lips, even while he was still terrified. "I just… don't want to impose."

Kurt rolled his eyes fondly. "You won't. We'll have some breakfast together, I'll ask them what they're doing here and everything will be fine."

Blaine sighed. "Fine."

Kurt stood up and offered his hand to Blaine. He caught him in his arms and leaned to talk straight into his ear. "We'll get back to what we were doing later."

Blaine groaned, but Kurt walked away from him to gather some clothes before he had time to do anything.

Five minutes later, they went into the kitchen to find Carole had already gotten breakfast under way. She was making pancakes and already there was a cup of coffee in front of Burt at the breakfast bar.

"Good morning, boys!" She said cheerfully, acting as if everything was normal. "I'm so sorry we, uhm, interrupted…"

"We did knock, but you two were too busy to hear us…" Burt protested gruffly.

"I don't think we've met before," Carole extended her hand to Blaine with a painfully wide smile on her face. "My name's Carole."

"Nice to meet you," Blaine said, his voice wavering nervously. "I'm Blaine."

"This is my husband, Burt," She clasped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, obviously a little tighter than necessary, because the man flinched.

"Hello," Burt eyed the hand Blaine was offering him and when his wife squeezed him again meaningfully, he accepted it. "Are you going to have breakfast with us, Blaine, or do you need to go home or to work now…?"

"Dad, Blaine lives here," Kurt said nonchalantly, as he walked to the fridge to get some orange juice. It was obvious telling his father about their living situation made him nervous, though.

Burt spat his coffee all over the breakfast bar. " _What_?"

Blaine hurried to clean the mess up, if only to keep himself busy since he didn't really know what to say or do.

"When were you planning to tell us about this?" Burt asked, as he stared at his son as if Kurt had suddenly grown two heads.

"Don't I eventually tell you everything?" Kurt replied with a quirked eyebrow. "I've been busy lately and I didn't have time to call you."

"Why don't we have breakfast and we'll talk about this later?" Carole proposed, always trying to keep the peace in the family. "I, for one, would like to hear a bit about Blaine."

Blaine blushed to the tip of his ears. "Well… there's not much to say…"

"I'm sure there is," she patted his hand. "How did you guys meet?"

Blaine exchanged a quick, pleading glance with Kurt. Kurt knew what that look meant. _Please, please don't tell them where you found me. Please. They'll think I'm not good enough for you…_

Carole seemed to notice that such a simple questions didn't have a simple answer, so she immediately walked to the coffee pot. "Who wants coffee before it gets cold?"

Breakfast was tense and awkward even though Carole and Kurt did their best to keep the conversation flowing. Burt only answered with grunts and Blaine kept his eyes on his plate, his food almost untouched.

When he deemed it had been long enough to not be rude, Blaine cleared his throat and stood up. "I'd better get ready or I'll be late for work."

"What do you do for a living?" Burt asked, talking directly to him for the first time.

Blaine seemed to shrink a bit under his gaze. "I… I work at the box office in a small theatre."

"And how do you pay your half of the rent with a job like that? This apartment is insanely expensive," Burt murmured, frowning.

Kurt saw Blaine going pale and he knew he had to step in. "Dad, that's rude."

"I'm just making sure things are fair and square…" Burt shrugged, unapologetically.

Carole shook her head. "Go get ready, dear," she said to Blaine. "We don't want to take up any more of your time."

He shot what it could've been considered a grateful smile at her, but his face was still too pale, too emotionless. He turned around and walked away as fast as he could without actually running.

"Kurt…" Burt began, but Kurt was already on his feet.

"I'm gonna go check on him," Kurt said. He looked at his father disapprovingly. "I can't believe you'd act like this, dad. This isn't like you."

He didn't give Burt time to answer. He went back to his bedroom, where Blaine was changing his shirt. His back was to Kurt, but even from that, he could tell how tense Blaine was. Kurt had gotten to know Blaine very well in the time they had lived together.

"I'm sorry for my dad's attitude," Kurt muttered softly and Blaine turned around to face him.

"It's okay," he answered, as if it didn't matter. "He's just worried about you. He doesn't know me."

"He's very protective," Kurt explained, sitting on the edge of the bed. "But he means well."

"Of course," Blaine nodded, as he went into the bathroom. Kurt could see from where he was standing, that he was staring at himself in front of the mirror, breathing deeply.

When Blaine came back into the bedroom, Kurt moved to wrap his arms around his waist. He smiled at him soothingly. "Don't let him get to you. if he sees he can intimidate you, he'll act even worse."

"What do you want me to do?" Blaine looked at him hopelessly. He felt a lump in his throat. "Do you want me to tell him the truth? That I'm staying here without paying you a cent? That you picked me up from the streets? What's he going to think?"

Kurt sighed and kissed him sweetly. "I don't care what he thinks. I don't care what we tell him. I just want him to see how wonderful you are…"

"Kurt…" Blaine tried to pull away, hesitantly.

"You _are_ ," Kurt insisted, resting their foreheads together.

They stayed very still, simply breathing the other in, for a few minutes. Blaine gradually relaxed in his arms and moved in for another kiss.

"Now go to work," Kurt said with a smile. "If I can get rid of them before you get back, we can go out to eat somewhere nice. Or we can stay here and finish what they interrupted…"

Blaine buried his face on Kurt's shoulder. "I'd like both options."

"Good. Me too," Kurt gave him a pat on the ass. "I'll see you tonight, then."

Blaine reluctantly pulled away. He stole one last kiss. "I'll see you tonight."

* * *

Somehow, Kurt managed to keep the conversation away from the subject of Blaine. He distracted his parents with a long walk around New York before stopping for lunch at a nice bistró he wanted Carole to try, and then by taking her shopping as Burt followed them, taciturn. He knew the moment they stepped back into his apartment that his father would go back to the one thing he seemed to want to discuss, but Kurt still wasn't sure what he was going to say.

It was obvious Carole was trying to buy him some time, too, but after hours of touring around non stop, she was clearly exhausted. Kurt realized he had to stop acting like a scared kid and face his father as an adult.

He wished he knew why he felt so terrified.

He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, peeking inside. "Do you guys want to have dinner here or would you rather go out to eat? I have some fish in the freezer, but…"

"Can you stop deflecting for a moment and tell me what the hell is going on here?" Burt asked so suddenly that it startled Kurt. "You've been making small talk for hours."

Kurt pushed the refrigerator door closed and sat at the closest stool. "Fine, let's talk."

"Who _is_ this Blaine guy?"

Why did his dad have to start with the most complicated question? "He's… a good friend."

"A friend," Burt looked at him with his arms crossed over his chest. "A friend you were frolicking around with, naked on your bed this morning."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Dad… I'm not in high school anymore. You can't control that part of my life…"

"I'm not trying to control anything," Burt answered firmly. He huffed, clearly frustrated. "What do you think Carole and I are doing here, Kurt? Do you think we just decided to come here to surprise you? You haven't called home in weeks. We found out about you quitting your job from a damn magazine…"

"I didn't quit," Kurt replied, annoyed. The press was always taking everything out of context. "I'm just taking some time off."

"Time off? You?" Burt looked at him as if he thought his son had gone nuts. "You worked your ass off to get where you are right now and as soon as you're right on the top, you decide to take some time off?" He took a few steps closer until he could lean on the counter and stared at Kurt right in the eyes. "What's going on?"

Kurt sighed. He had never liked lying to his dad or hiding things from him. Maybe it was better to be completely honest. "I really love my job, but the life that comes with it is… I don't know. Not what I pictured? It's stressful and shallow and… I don't know if that's something I can handle any longer."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Burt asked, sadly. "You know you can always talk to me, kiddo, even if we don't live in the same house anymore, even if you're an adult making his own decisions."

"I was figuring it out myself, first," Kurt admitted. "And I had to fit Blaine in the picture and it wasn't exactly easy either…"

There was a small pause and it seemed like Burt was gathering courage to speak again. "Look, Kurt, you don't have to tell me everything if you don't want to, but I need to know at least something about this guy. I need to make sure he isn't going to screw with you."

"He's an amazing man, dad," Kurt assured him confidently. "You don't need to worry about that."

"And why wouldn't you two tell us where you met when we were having breakfast this morning?" Burt said, a slight tone of suspicion in his voice.

Kurt bit his lip. He knew Blaine wouldn't want him to tell his story, especially since he wasn't there, but he had never been capable of lying to his father. That was the thing that made their relationship so wonderful. He sighed, knowing he had to betray one of the two men's trust. "I… If I tell you, you need to promise you won't tell Blaine that I did. He feels ashamed and uncomfortable about it as it is…"

That only piqued Burt's curiosity, and made his anxiety worse. "Kurt…"

"He was homeless," Kurt blurted out, unable to think of how to soften it. He saw his parents' eyes widening. "He was trying to get warm outside the doors of my building when I got home and I couldn't leave him out there. It was so cold and…"

"Kurt…"

"He was so thin and dirty…"

"Kurt…"

"You should've seen him. He would've _died_ , Dad. It was such a horrible night and…"

"Kurt!" Burt finally shouted, trying to get his son's attention and succeeding at last. Kurt looked at him, warily. "You… You let a total stranger into your home?"

"Yes, Dad, but…" Kurt started saying, but Burt interrupted him.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Do you know what could've happened to you? There are so many insane people in this city and you just opened your door and let one in!" Burt was incredulous. Was his son crazy? How could he be so careless?

"Blaine isn't insane!" Kurt exclaimed. "He's not what you think he is. You think I didn't judge him too, at first? You think I wasn't scared that he would rob me? But I learned to look past the outside to who he really was. He's one of the most selfless, generous people I've ever met…"

"Selfless? Generous? He's living in your house without paying rent, eating your food, wearing your clothes!" Burt muttered and he looked as if he wanted to shake some sense into his son. "Kurt, he's using you! Can't you see it? You were stupid enough to let him in and let him take advantage…"

"He did _not_!" Kurt had never been so upset in his life. Of all the people he had met, he couldn't believe his father was the one judging him and the man he… _cared about_ like this.

"First thing we're going to do tomorrow morning is go to the clinic and get you tested," Burt said, clearly not listening to his son. "You don't know anything about this guy. He could have so many diseases from living in the streets and you've been _sleeping_ with him…"

"Dad, please, listen to me…" Kurt pleaded. His eyes were full of tears. He felt like a kid again.

"And then we'll talk to Blaine, give him some money and send him on his way…"

"Dad!" Kurt shouted. He couldn't breathe. "Stop it. Just stop it! Why are you doing this?"

"Because I don't want to see you hurt again!" Burt snapped, throwing his arms in the air, just as upset as Kurt was. "Everytime someone breaks your heart, it kills me, Kurt. I've seen it happen twice now and then I had to see you date guy after guy without really caring about any of them. And now you do this. Why are you punishing yourself?"

"I'm not punishing myself…" Kurt murmured weakly, but he didn't sound convincing.

"Then what the hell _are_ you doing?" Burt asked. "Help me understand here, kiddo. Tell me why you're putting yourself in danger like this…"

"I'm not in danger. Blaine wouldn't ever hurt me. I know you think so because you don't know him, but I do…" Kurt's blue eyes were begging him to understand.

"Kurt…" Burt walked to him and put a hand on his knee. "You've always been a lot more compassionate than I am. You got that from your mom. But just because you feel pity for him doesn't mean you need to let him stay in your home, and sleep in your bed."

Kurt shook his head, unable to say anything else. Why couldn't his father understand? Why couldn't he see Blaine the way Kurt saw him? Just looking into Blaine's eyes was enough to know there was no malice in him. He'd just had really bad luck in his life…

After a few seconds of silence that seemed to last forever, Burt sighed. Kurt looked so small and defeated right there on that stool and Burt recognized that attitude. He had always looked the same every time Burt wouldn't understand something about a musical, or about a fashion trend, back in high school, when he didn't have anyone to talk about those things with and needed Burt, the only person in his life who mattered to him, to understand what was important to him.

Burt had never thought he'd see that kid again, and yet, here he was.

"Kurt… are you in love with him?" Burt asked him at last.

Kurt glanced up at him so quickly Burt was surprised his neck didn't crack. "No, I'm not in love with him!" He answered vehemently.

Burt frowned at him and kept staring at his son, watching his walls crumble one by one. He couldn't lie to him because Burt was able to see right through him.

"I can't be in love with him, Dad," Kurt finally whispered, brokenly. "Everytime I fall in love, everything ends up so badly… and I don't want to lose Blaine. He's made me realize how unhappy I was when I met him. He gave me purpose. I don't want to be in love with him, but I just don't know what else to do but to love him…"

"Oh, darling," Carole said, reminding the two men that they weren't alone in the kitchen. She had been standing by the sink, looking at them and listening to their argument with a hand on her chest and now she was choking on her tears. She crossed the kitchen quickly to Kurt and enveloped him in a hug. "Love is always terrifying, Kurt. But the more you have to risk, the more you have to gain."

"Carole, he hardly knows the guy…" Burt reminded her desperately.

"I _do_ know him," Kurt murmured. "He's been living here for weeks. He told me his story and I believe him. He never did anything to me and even though I offered him clothes and money, he wouldn't accept anything. He tried to leave twice and I made him stay. I… I need him."

Carole hugged him again, so tightly that Kurt was sure a few of his bones wouldn't make it intact. "Judging by the way he looks at you, I'd say he feels the same."

Kurt's eyes lit up like a torch in the dark. "Really?"

She nodded and kissed his forehead.

Burt knew it was a lost battle. He sighed tiredly and sat on the stool next to Kurt's. "Fine. If you think he's good enough for you, then I'll give him a chance."

Kurt smiled at him as he wiped the tears he hadn't noticed trailing down his cheeks. "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, kiddo."

Kurt took a deep breath and stood up, needing to do something to take his mind off this conversation. "Okay, I'm gonna start dinner, then. Blaine should be here any minute now…"

"How can I help?" Carole asked, rolling her sleeves up, and they started working together cutting vegetables at the counter. Kurt was about to throw some carrots in the wok when Carole nudged him with her elbow. "He's got a really cute butt, by the way."

Kurt blushed all the way to his hair, but made a mental note to tell Blaine about it later.

He couldn't wait to see him get adorably embarrassed and bashful.

* * *

After the very eventful morning they'd had, Blaine had actually had a pretty nice day. He let himself get involved in his job and forgot about how uncomfortable he had felt with Kurt's parents that morning.

He brightened up a little bit more when he helped an old couple to their seats and they gave him five dollars as a tip. He made one stop before taking the subway, to buy a red rose with a red ribbon for Kurt. Maybe it wasn't much, but he couldn't wait to see his smile when he saw the flower.

He spent the entire way home gathering courage to face Kurt's parents again and when Blaine stepped into the apartment, he looked nothing like the uncomfortable man they had seen that morning.

The living room was empty, but he thought he heard voices coming from the kitchen. He hid the rose behind his back and walked that way, wanting to surprise Kurt…

"…just because you feel pity for him doesn't mean you need to let him stay in your home, and sleep in your bed."

Burt's words paralyzed him. Pity? Had Kurt said he felt pity for him? Blaine bit his lip, knowing he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but unwilling to make his presence known until he heard Kurt correcting his father.

But only a silence followed, a silence that seemed to be cluthing Blaine's heart painfully, as if it were an iron hand closing around it.

He still waited, hopeful.

"Kurt… are you in love with him?"

Blaine didn't realize he had stopped breathing.

"No, I'm not in love with him!"

It was immediate, the way the lump appeared in his throat, the way he had to bit his lip to hold back a sob. He took a step back.

Had he really been that stupid? How could he have believed that Kurt could ever _love_ him?

_Pity._

_I'm not in love with him_.

As with every other beautiful dream Blaine had ever had in his life, this one was shattered to pieces now too. He backed up quickly, needing to leave the apartment as soon as possible.

Once he was back outside in the cold, he dropped the rose to the snow-covered ground and wondered when was he going to stop believing in fairy tales.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

Saying Kurt was worried was an immense understatement. When an hour passed and Blaine still wasn't home, he started freaking out. When midnight rolled around, he was ready to start calling in hospitals. He had already called the theatre but no one had answered the phone. He had turned the TV on and watched the news to see if there was a problem with the subway, but gave him any clues that explained why Blaine wasn't home yet.

He wanted to go out and look for him, but Burt and Carole told him it was better to wait at home, that Blaine had probably gotten caught up with something at work, that he would be there any minute now and that there was no point in Kurt leaving the apartment in the middle of the night.

They didn't even look convinced themselves, though.

It was freezing outside.

Kurt eventually told them to go to bed, but only after he insisted endlessly did they comply. He stayed in the living room for a bit longer, but then he went into his room and closed the door behind him. He was so scared. What if something had happened to Blaine? What if he was hurt and alone somewhere, the victim of a mugging or a drive by shooting? Oh, if he had stayed late at work without letting him know, he was going to kill him…

At some point during his internal monologue full of fear and anxiety, he fell asleep, clutching Blaine's pillow tightly to his chest.

His last concious thought was that he was probably going to wake up in Blaine's arms anyway…

* * *

Blaine hadn't forgotten how raw and cruel the cold nights were, though he had tried to put the memories out of his mind while he was sheltered in Kurt's apartment. For the briefest of moments he had allowed himself to fantasize about not ever having to go back to living in the streets, about building a life somewhere, maybe even with someone who loved him…

Now he knew he would never have that. He needed to quit dreaming.

He tightened the coat around him, trying not to think about how it was Kurt's and not his. Everything he was wearing was Kurt's. His stupid heart was, too.

He had ended up going back to the subway station and hiding there until he was sure no one was going to kick him out. Then, he had found a bench (hard and uncomfortable, so different from Kurt's warm bed full of pillows and silky sheets) and tried to get some sleep.

He couldn't.

How had he thought someone like Kurt would love someone like him?

He closed his eyes and he tried to ignore the cold chilling him to the core and the freezing tears trailing down his cheeks. He should've known he would end up like this. He should've known the streets would always be the only home he'd know.

* * *

When Kurt woke up to find Blaine's side of the bed still empty, he panicked worse than he had in his life.

Where had Blaine spent the night? Was he safe? Had something terrible happened to him? He already knew something really bad was going on. Nothing else would keep Blaine away from him, from holding him in his arms. But… maybe he'd come home late and slept on the couch because his parents were there. Yes, that was something Blaine definitely would do.

He jumped out of bed, running to the kitchen, hoping to see him there, desperately clinging to his last hope …

But Carole was the only one in the kitchen. She looked at him, expectantly, when he walked in, but as soon as she saw the devastated expression in his face, she understood. "Oh honey, I'm sure he's okay…"

"I have no idea where he could be…" Kurt looked out the window. It was snowing and New York was awake and moving under the blanket of white.

"We should try going to the theatre," Carole proposed, as energetically as she could. "Maybe they know something there."

"Yeah," Kurt nodded, grateful for some kind of action. "I better get dressed. I'll go right now."

"Okay, dear," Carole gave him a reassuring smile.

For the first time in his life, Kurt didn't care what clothes he was putting on. He found some yoga pants and a hoodie and threw them on, before grabbing a random scarf and a coat. He didn't even style his hair.

All he cared about was finding Blaine.

"Your father is in the shower," Carole informed him when Kurt came out of his room again. "I'll let him know we're leaving."

"No, no, it's okay," Kurt shook his head. He didn't want to wait anymore. "Stay here with him. Call me if Blaine comes home."

"Kurt, you shouldn't be alone right now," Carole bit her lip, worried.

"I'll be okay," Kurt said, as he slipped out the door without even looking back.

The elevator seemed to take forever that day. The annoying music coming from the speakers was making Kurt more and more nervous as the time passed in slow motion. When he reached the lobby, he almost sighed in relief. He felt like a caged animal who couldn't stay still anymore.

He was about to reach the front door when a voice stopped him. "Mr. Hummel!"

Kurt turned around to find the doorman walking towards him from his desk. "Yes?"

"The, uhm, _gentleman_ who was staying with you asked me to give you this," the man said, pulling a little note out of his pocket.

Kurt's heart beat so fast that he could feel it everywhere in his body. "Blaine was here? How long ago?"

"Twenty minutes, perhaps," he answered politely. "He told me to give you this as soon as I saw you."

"Thank you," Kurt muttered absently. What was this about? Blaine had been there? Why hadn't he gone up to their apartment? What the hell was going on?

The doorman nodded at him and went back to his desk. Kurt stared at the piece of paper in his hands for a moment before he unfolded it. Blaine's handwriting seemed rushed and a bit sloppy.

_Kurt,_

_I'll never be able to thank you enough for everything you did for me. I won't ever forget how kind and generous you were. But I don't need anyone's pity, so I think it's better if we go our different ways._

_Thank you, again. I hope I can pay you back someday._

_Blaine._

Kurt was breathing harshly. He turned the paper over, looking for more, but that was it. That was Blaine's note. That was all there was to Blaine's goodbye… but why? Why was he gone? What made him walk away so suddenly, when they'd been so happy? What was he talking about?

It didn't sound like Blaine.

Blaine wouldn't leave him with no explanation.

"Mr. Hummel, are you feeling alright?" The doorman asked, but Kurt couldn't hear him. He turned around and ran back to the elevator.

_I don't need anyone's pity._

_I don't need anyone's pity._

_Just because you feel_ pity _for him doesn't mean you need to let him into your home._

Kurt opened the door to his apartment with much more force than he had intended to, making the door crash into the wall and rebound. He was shaking uncontrollably and he was sure there were tears in his eyes. His numb body was suddenly overtaken by cold and he knew the only way to make the cold go away was to be wrapped in Blaine's arms…

He entered the kitchen at the same time Burt did, fresh from his shower. Carole was staring at him with wide eyes.

"It's your fault!" Kurt exploded, his anger making his voice higher than he had ever heard it.

"What?" Burt asked, confused. "What are you talking about, kiddo?"

"You scared him away! You made him feel like he wasn't welcomed here! You made him believe I felt nothing but pity for him!" Kurt screamed, furious and devastated all at the same time. "He must have heard you last night! That's the only explanation!"

"Kurt, what happened?" Carole took a step towards him.

Kurt threw Blaine's note towards his dad. "We were both happy for the first time in forever and you ruined it. You took him away from me. You had no right, dad, no right…"

Burt was staring at the note. He looked at his son, sadly. "Kurt, I didn't mean to…"

"What if I can't find him now?" Kurt asked, brokenly. "What if he's out there living on the street with nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep? What if something happens to him?"

"I'm sure he's fine, Kurt," Carole assured him as soothingly as she could. "He's a big boy and he knows the city so well…"

Kurt shook his head. They didn't understand. They didn't feel how Blaine's absence made his chest tighten in pain, how everything seemed to lose meaning. It had been just a few weeks of living together, but Kurt knew now that this apartment wasn't his home if Blaine wasn't in it, too.

* * *

The only reason Blaine had gone to work was because he knew that he couldn't risk losing his job. Maybe he didn't have a place to live, or money to eat everyday, but now that he had a job, he had the possibility of getting that one day. So being heartbroken wasn't an excuse to let go altogether.

That didn't mean he didn't feel dead inside, though.

He sat in the box office kiosk, staring out at the cars and the people passing by, all of them busy, just rushing through life, without stopping to think for a minute to realize how easily it could all be gone in the blink of an eye. He tried to keep himself distracted by watching them, hoping to forget about the aching void in his chest and in his stomach.

Blaine ran a hand over his face, rubbing at his tired eyes. He hadn't been able to sleep at all the previous night…

The heavenly scent of coffee suddenly filled his nostrils and Blaine looked up, to find a Starbucks paper cup on the other side of his window. But it was the man holding it out to him that was really unexpected.

"Looks like you need some caffeine, if you ask me," Burt said nonchalantly.

"Mr. Hummel…" Blaine muttered awkwardly. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, of course," Burt answered, shrugging. "You missed dinner last night."

Blaine swallowed. What was he supposed to say? "Listen, I… I'm really grateful for everything Kurt did for me, but we all know I can't stay with him forever…"

"Is that because you heard me saying something stupid, about a guy I don't even know?" Burt asked and Blaine blushed.

"Well, yes. I got to the apartment and I heard you all talking. I'm sorry I eavesdropped. I didn't mean to. But it was probably just what I needed…" Blaine shifted uncomfortably in his seat and hoped his boss would walk in or a customer might show up to buy some tickets. He needed an excuse to end this terribly uncomfortable conversation with Burt.

"So, you're saying that just because you heard a stupid, old man like me say some crap, you walked away from Kurt? That's not very smart of you, Blaine."

"He's better off without me," Blaine started toying with a pen on his desk, trying desperately to suppress the tears prickling behind his eyes, threatening to fall any second.

"Oh, yeah?" Burt leaned closer until his face was almost against the glass that separated them. "Then why is he locked up in the bathroom crying his eyes out and hating me right now?"

"I…" Blaine paused and looked up at the other man with wide eyes. "What?"

"He cares a lot about you, Blaine," Burt muttered softly.

He averted his gaze, feeling a lump in his throat. "He feels sorry for me."

Burt sighed. "You can think whatever you want to think, buddy, but I know my son better than anyone else knows him. He needs you and not because he feels bad for you…"

"Why would he need me?" Blaine sniffled without being able to help himself. "He's got everything he could ever wish for."

"Yeah, he's got it all, except for someone to share it with, someone to love and who loves him back," Burt said, putting the coffee cup down on the other side of the glass. He didn't say anything else, he simply walked away.

Blaine watched him go before he left the box office to grab the coffee. Even though it was still almost scalding, it wasn't enough to warm his heart. Only one thing could help him get rid of the cold clinging to his bones, but Blaine didn't feel like he could ever ask the man who had everything to share it with him, when he had nothing to offer him in return but a bruised and fragile heart.

* * *

If people at work hadn't yet noticed that something was very wrong, they would, soon. For starters, Blaine had been going to work wearing the same clothes for almost a week now. He looked really rough already, with his stubble growing almost into a beard. He had to wash as best as he could using the restroom at the McDonald's a few streets down from the theatre.

And he hadn't been sleeping.

Part of him was convinced that it was Kurt's fault for spoiling him with his extremely comfortable bed, but he knew down deep it was far more than that. He couldn't sleep because he was in love with someone he could never have. He hated the life he was stuck living everyday and just didn't know what to do about it. He was worried about getting fired and going back to having absolutely nothing. He was starving, lonely and desperate.

He wasn't sure he had a reason to live anymore.

* * *

Kurt couldn't force him to come back.

He had gone to the theatre to see Blaine a million times, but he had never approached him. Burt had told him that Blaine seemed to need some time to work things out, but how much time was enough? How much distance was necessary? Couldn't Blaine work things out while being wrapped securely in Kurt's arms?

Blaine looked worse and worse everyday. Even from afar, Kurt could see the dark marks under his eyes and his hair and clothes getting dirtier. Where was he sleeping? Where was he eating? Had he told anyone he needed help? No, Kurt knew he hadn't. Blaine had too much pride for that.

More than once Kurt had to turn around and walk away before he ran towards him and caught him in his arms, and refused to let him go.

He had finally faced the truth his heart was telling him. This wasn't all about Blaine being homeless anymore. To be completely honest, he was being selfish. He needed Blaine even more than Blaine needed him.

* * *

Of all the things Blaine had been forced to do to survive in the years he had been living on the streets, searching through trash cans was probably what he hated the most. He hated the way people looked at him when he did it, as if it was something he chose to do. He hated that he needed to settle for whatever people got rid of.

But, what else could he do? He grabbed the few newspapers that remained dry and undamaged and salvaged a few boxes from the blue bin. They would be enough to keep him from freezing during the night, he hoped. He looked at a half-eaten apple and his stomach growled, begging him for some food.

"Mommy, why is that man looking in the garbage?" A little voice said and Blaine looked aside, to see a girl, tugging at her mother's sleeve to get her attention. When the woman saw Blaine, she pulled the girl farther away from him, walking down the platform to wait for the train somewhere else.

"It's just one of those crazy, homeless men, Lizzie. Don't ever talk to them…" She was saying, not even bothering to lower her voice. She probably figured he didn't _have_ any feelings to hurt, like he wasn't even a man anymore.

Blaine felt a lump in his throat and walked away, leaving the apple.

The bench where he had been sleeping most of the past few nights was fortunately empty again tonight. He covered it with newspaper sheets, carefully, trying to block out the whispers of the people walking by. He could feel tears of frustration and shame making his eyes burn, but he refused to let them escape.

He was about to start working on the cardboard boxes when he noticed someone standing behind him. He closed his eyes. It was probably a subway security guard that would tell him that he needed to leave. It wouldn't be the first time. Blaine allowed himself a second to breathe before having to think about finding a safe place to sleep outside in the cold…

"Blaine?"

Startled, Blaine spun around, wide-eyed. There stood Kurt, wrapped in a beautiful knee-length white cashmere coat, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth and looking at him with sad eyes.

"W-what are you doing here, Kurt?" He asked, shakily. God, the last thing he wanted was for Kurt to see him like this.

"I really needed to see you," Kurt muttered shyly. There weren't more than a couple of steps between them, but the chasm dividing them seemed so large that it overwhelmed Blaine. "I… I've gone to the theatre several times, but I thought you wouldn't want to see me."

Blaine shrugged. He had been aware of his steadily declining appearance all week, but he was even more so now that Kurt was looking at him. He knew in spite of his efforts he couldn't smell very nice. His hair was a mess and his clothes didn't look much better.

"I miss you," Kurt said simply, not waiting for Blaine to say anything. "I don't know what to do without you anymore. The apartment is so big and so empty…"

"We both knew I couldn't stay there forever," Blaine managed to reply despite the lump in his throat.

"Why not?" Kurt asked with pleading eyes. "Why can't you stay with me forever?"

"It wouldn't be right," Blaine answered, still not really sure of what he wanted to say. "We want different things. You have such a nice life and…"

"Why don't we cut out the crap?" Kurt interrupted, almost angrily. "This is about you not wanting me to help you. I swear to god, Blaine Anderson, you're so irritating. You and your damn pride!"

"I told you," Blaine averted his eyes, embarrassed. "I don't want to be…"

"A charity case," Kurt finished for him. "You don't want to be helped by me at all. Well, that's great, because you're not a charity case for me."

"And why the hell would you want to take care of me if that isn't the reason?" Blaine threw his arms in the air, helplessly.

"Because I'm a guy who takes care of the people he loves!" Kurt exclaimed, causing several people to look at them curiously. "I took care of my dad when he had a heart attack, and I took care of my best friend back in college when her boyfriend broke up with her and she refused to get out of bed or to shower for a week. I even took care of the two huge dickheads who ended up breaking my heart because I thought I loved them! And I want to take care of you because I'm in love with you! And it may seem like I'm doing this for you, but I'm actually doing it for me. Because I really don't want to lose the man I love. I don't want anything bad happening to you because I would be miserable for the rest of my days knowing I could've avoided it. And you're so stubborn that I want to punch you even more than I want to kiss you!"

Blaine stared wide-eyed, shocked to his core. Kurt's voice had gone so high-pitched that it was almost making his ears bleed, but it was the words he was saying that stunned him. Was Kurt telling the truth? Was he really in love with him?

"And it's completely fine if you don't feel the same way," Kurt added, with a hint of anxiety creeping into his voice. "But you just can't ask me to stop feeling what I feel, and to stop wanting to be here for you." He threw a paper bag at Blaine, who barely managed to catch it. "So eat that fucking burger I got you because it's killing me to see you like this."

The smell of greasy junk food seeped through the bag and Blaine's mouth watered. Even though he didn't want to, he opened the bag and grabbed the burger, unwrapping it quickly and taking a bite. He couldn't help the moan that escaped him. It tasted _so_ good.

When he looked up, with the second bite of burger in his mouth, he noticed Kurt was still standing there and staring at him, with tears trailing down his cheeks. He swallowed and put the food back in the bag. "Kurt…"

" _Please_ , come home with me," Kurt begged, taking a hesitant step forward.

"I… I have nothing to offer you," Blaine said sadly.

Kurt chuckled bitterly. "That's the most awful cliché line in the world. I don't want anything from you, Blaine. I'm not even asking you to love me back. I'm just asking you to let me give you a hand. It doesn't have to be forever if you don't want to. You can leave as soon as you have enough money to pay for a place to live. But, please… don't stay out here. Don't do this."

Blaine's body shivered with the need to throw himself at Kurt, to kiss him, to tell him how much he loved him. _Not yet_ , Blaine thought. _I can't. Not like this_.

"You're the most wonderful man I've ever met…" he murmured with a soft smile, as he took a step forward. Kurt's eyes brightened immediately, full of hope. "But I can't do it, Kurt. I… it's not that simple. Not for me."

Kurt's face fell at those words. He couldn't hide the pain in his eyes. He tried, though, and he nodded. "Okay…"

They stared at each other. It seemed as if everything was said for the night. Kurt started walking away, but he stopped before he got too far. "Can I at least bring you some food again tomorrow?"

Blaine's heart ached. "Kurt…"

"Fine," Kurt swallowed, tried to smile and failed horribly. "I hope I'll see you soon."

Blaine didn't have time to answer. Kurt was practically running away from him, as if he wanted to hide something from him.

He was unsuccessful, though. Blaine heard a sob just before Kurt turned around a corner and disappeared.


	9. Chapter 9

Kurt wasn't sure what Blaine was waiting for, but he _knew_ he was waiting for something.

And whatever that something was, it was keeping him away from Kurt.

Kurt had never been the most patient of men, but for Blaine, he'd wait forever.

Blaine was worth it, even if he didn't believe it.

* * *

_He loves me. He loves me. He loves me._

That night, Kurt's confession of love was Blaine's blanket. For once, he didn't mind the cold that much.

* * *

_I wonder if he ate today._

_Maybe I should bring him some food and another coat._

_Would he accept if I offered to let him to come over for a nice shower?_

_No, he won't. We're still waiting._

_But, for what?_

* * *

Blaine counted the days. Five. Four. Three.

_He loves me. He loves me. He loves me._

* * *

"Still nothing, kiddo?"

Kurt sighed into the phone, staring out the window. It wasn't snowing that much anymore, lately. That was good. "Nothing yet, dad."

"I'm so sorry, Kurt. I can come back to New York and talk to him again, if you want..."

"No," Kurt said firmly. "This is the way he needs it to be. This is what he wanted. I don't understand it, but..."

"But you'll wait until he comes around anyway," Burt said from the other end.

"I'll wait as long as it takes, dad."

* * *

Blaine smiled for the first time in what it seemed like ages. He sat at the box office and impatiently stared at the clock every time he had nothing to do.

Were the hands moving backwards or was time suddenly passing a lot slower?

* * *

Kurt had been thinking a lot. Actually, he had done nothing but think since he last saw Blaine.

He called his publicist and his agent. They both had been emailing him and calling him non-stop since he had suddenly announced he was taking a break. They wanted him back on stage. They wanted him back on the covers of magazines. They wanted to take him to Los Angeles to try his luck in Hollywood.

"No," Kurt answered firmly. "No more magazines. No more gossip. No more parties. I want to do my job on stage and then come home and have a simple life with the man I love. In a few years, I want to get married and have a couple of kids..."

"Wait. I didn't know you were seeing anyone! When did this happen?" His publicist asked, scandalized that she had been left out of the picture.

Kurt's heart thumped in his chest. "It hasn't happened yet. But it will. I know it will."

He hung up the phone feeling a little of the weight lifted off his shoulders, but the void in his heart was yet to be filled.

* * *

_He loves me. He loves me. He loves me._

Blaine made a quick stop before going down the steps to the subway station.

* * *

Couch. Yoga pants. Reality shows. Take out.

Kurt wasn't proud to say those things were part of his routine every night now. He didn't have energy enough to put on some nice clothes and go eat somewhere nice instead. He hadn't really left his apartment in a week.

He hadn't really left the couch, either. He didn't want to sleep in his big, empty bed alone.

When the door bell rang, he assumed it was the doorman bringing up his food order. He grabbed some cash and walked to the door, counting it to make sure it was enough to cover a tip.

He certainly wasn't expecting to see Blaine standing there, shifting his weight from foot to foot, nervously.

"Blaine..." he whispered, breathless as his heart leapt into his throat.

"Hi," Blaine said shyly. "I, uhm. These are for you."

Kurt hadn't noticed the little bouquet of beautiful red roses Blaine was clutching in his hands like a lifeline. He accepted them with a wide smile on his face.

"They're gorgeous," he muttered, burying his nose in them. "Thank you."

Blaine cleared his throat. It was endearing how nervous he was. "I got my first paycheck today."

"You did? That's wonderful, Blaine," Kurt said warmly.

"Yeah," Blaine started picking on a loose thread on his coat. "So, uhm, I was wondering if you'd let me take you out... on a date."

Happiness started bubbling inside of Kurt. He felt like dancing, laughing and screaming all at the same time. "Really?"

Blaine nodded, hesitant. "I can't really take you to one of those fancy places you're used to, but I remembered you had fun when we went bowling and I thought maybe you'd be okay going somewhere... less fancy?"

"I'd go anywhere with you," Kurt answered and he was rewarded with Blaine finally looking at him in the eyes and smiling tentatively. "Why don't you come in?"

Blaine followed him into the kitchen, where Kurt grabbed a vase and filled it with water to put his roses in.

And then it hit him.

He turned around, frowning. "Blaine... Did you wait until you got your paycheck to come back?"

Blaine bit his lip. "Yes?"

"I can't believe it. Why is it so hard for you to understand that I don't need you to...?"

Blaine interrupted him, taking a steadying breath. "Kurt, I lost everything. Everything. The only thing I have left is my pride. I can't lose that, too."

Kurt stared at him. They were separated by the breakfast bar and the distance seemed much too wide to Kurt. He just wanted to pull Blaine into his arms and never let him go.

"I couldn't come back empty-handed. I couldn't just come here and ask you to love me without offering you anything in return," Blaine continued. "And I know that some flowers and a cheap dinner won't be enough... but it's the best I have, Kurt."

Kurt sniffled. The tears filling his eyes were making his sight blurry. "Do you think you'll ever love me back? That's the only thing I could ever want from you, Blaine."

Blaine sighed helplessly. He smiled a bit. "I already do."

Kurt was sure his heart had just exploded in his chest. He covered his mouth with his hands as he cried and laughed at the same time. "Really?"

"I love you so much," Blaine said, simply, sincerely.

Kurt couldn't take that distance between them anymore. In a few strides, he was ready to launch himself at Blaine, but the other man took some steps backward, with his hands raised in front of him like a shield, suddenly looking paler.

"No, no, wait. No," he mumbled anxiously. Kurt stopped in the middle of the kitchen and his pain must have been clear in his face because Blaine hurried to add, "I'm dying to hold you and to kiss you again, Kurt, but I..." He looked uncomfortable and ashamed like never before. "I... I haven't showered since I left and I... I probably smell really bad and look even worse and I... I don't want you to touch me when I'm like this."

Kurt's heart broke a bit at that. His smile softened. "Would it be okay if you just took my hand?"

Blaine's face had reddened while he was talking and he nodded slowly now, taking the hand Kurt was offering him.

"Come with me," Kurt didn't wait for Blaine's reply, he tugged at his hand and started guiding him down the hallway towards his bedroom.

They entered his bathroom, the biggest one in the apartment. Kurt opened the cabinet above the sink and grabbed Blaine's toothbrush, handing it back to his owner. Then he turned towards the tub and started filling it with warm water.

The door bell rang again before either of them could say anything. Kurt smiled at Blaine, who was just standing there, watching him. "I'll be right back."

The doorman was smiling at him with his bag of take out in his hands when Kurt pulled the door open. "Your food has arrived, Mr. Hummel."

"Thanks," Kurt said, reaching for it.

"I hope it's okay that I let your, uhm, usual visitor come up. It's not like he gave me much opportunity to stop him," he muttered in a disparaging tone of voice. "I can call security if you need me to escort him back _out_ _to the street_."

Kurt blinked, looking at him incredulously. "Whoa, you really _are_ an asshole."

The doorman quirked an eyebrow. "Pardon me?"

"You've been doing nothing but making unpleasant comments about Blaine since the night I invited him in," Kurt said, as his patented bitch face made its comeback.

"Well, I'm sorry, sir. It's my job to be concerned about your safety, as well as everyone else's in this building," he answered, still disgustingly false and polite.

"You should be concerned about your own safety, because the next time I hear you talking about Blaine that way, I'm gonna get you fired," Kurt assured him with a fake smile of his own. "And you'll probably need surgery to get my Gucci shoe out of your ass. Have a good night, jerk."

And without saying another word, he kicked the door closed in the doorman's face.

Kurt took a moment. That probably shouldn't have felt as good as it had.

He left the bag with the food on the kitchen counter, glad he always ordered way more food than he could actually eat, and went back to the bathroom, where Blaine was still brushing his teeth. He rinsed his mouth when Kurt walked in and smiled at him.

"Feeling better?" Kurt asked, dying to kiss him anywhere Blaine allowed him to.

"A bit," Blaine admitted. "Who was at the door?"

"Just the doorman bringing some take out I ordered," Kurt shrugged and moved to check on the tub.

"I hate that guy," Blaine muttered. "He always looks at me like I'm garbage."

"He's a douchebag," Kurt grabbed his favorite coconut-scented oil and poured a bit into the almost full tub. "I'm thinking about moving to a different building anyway."

Blaine seemed surprise. "Really?"

"I want a smaller, less ostentatious apartment. I don't need three guest rooms," Kurt explained, then glanced at Blaine expectantly. "What do you think?"

"About what?" Blaine asked, confused.

"About a smaller apartment, silly," Kurt rolled his eyes fondly. "Maybe in a quieter neighborhood. Closer to a park. You look like the kind of guy who will want to have a dog, eventually."

"You..." Blaine was apparently having trouble finding his words. "You... want that? With me?"

"I thought that's what people in love do? Make plans for the future?" Kurt tried to make it sound like a joke, but there was an edge of nerves in his voice, as if he was afraid he'd pushed Blaine too far.

Blaine smiled sweetly, feeling moved. "I think your plans sound wonderful to me."

Relaxing visibly, Kurt stood up from where he had been crouching next to the bathtub. " _Voilà_! Your bath is ready."

Blaine looked at him the way only men who are deeply in love can look at someone. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Kurt beamed. "I'll go get some of your clothes. I'll be right back."

Kurt allowed himself to do a little happy dance once he was out of Blaine's sight. He was back. He was safe. He loved him back.

There wasn't anything else Kurt could ask for.

When he went back to the bathroom a few minutes later, Blaine was already submerged in the warm water. His eyes were closed and a contented smile graced his lips. Kurt loved how the simple things made Blaine happy. He wanted to be more like him.

"What do you say..." Kurt started saying, as he sat on the edge of the tub and Blaine opened one eye to peek at him," if we save that date for tomorrow night and we just stay home tonight?"

Blaine's hand found Kurt's, wet and soapy, and squeezed gently. "I think I'd like that. Staying home."

Kurt's heart threatened to jump right out of his chest. Blaine was _home_.

He was dying to kiss him, but he wanted to wait until Blaine felt comfortable enough for that. Instead, he grabbed his bottle of shampoo and showed it to Blaine. "May I?"

Blaine bit his lip, hesitant to let Kurt touch his grubby hair. "Are you sure you want that? I..."

"Blaine," Kurt said firmly, arching an eyebrow. "Let me wash your hair."

"Okay," Blaine nodded.

Kurt smiled as he worked on Blaine's curly hair. He scratched at his scalp lightly and Blaine moaned in pleasure, throwing his head back against his hands. It felt so intimate and so familiar to be like this, even though they hadn't done it before, even though they had been apart for a while. They fell right into that feeling, where they were natural together.

Once Kurt was done with his hair, Blaine scrubbed himself with the exfoliating loofa to ensure he rid himself of any vestiges of living in the streets, even if most of it was in his head. He looked at Kurt apologetically, who just smiled at him and leaned to kiss the top of his head (he considered it a victory when Blaine didn't pull away).

"What do you say if you move to the shower to rinse all of that off?" Kurt proposed. He handed Blaine a towel and walked to the shower to adjust the spray.

He wasn't expecting to feel arms wrapping around his waist from behind and a face burying against the crook of his neck, but he couldn't deny it didn't make him feel amazing. He raised his hand over his shoulder to tangle his fingers in Blaine's wet hair and hummed in contentment.

"I'm so happy you're back, Blaine…" he murmured softly.

"I love you," was Blaine's answer softly breathed into his ear and it warmed Kurt all over. "I love you so much."

Kurt turned around in his arms and cupped his face in his hands, looking into those beautiful hazel eyes. "I love you, too."

They moved forward at the same time, knowing they couldn't wait one more minute. Their lips crashed together and they immediately sighed in relief into the kiss. Blaine's arms tightened around Kurt's waist and Kurt pulled him even closer, until their bodies were glued to each other. It felt wonderful, even if Kurt's clothes were getting soaked. Kurt wondered if that was what it felt like to drink a glass of water after wandering lost in a desert for days.

They clung to each other as if they were afraid the other would slip away. They had missed this: the slick slide of mouths and tongues and the taste of each other they couldn't get enough of. If it weren't because they needed to breathe eventually, they wouldn't ever have pulled away.

Blaine rested their foreheads together. His eyes were bright with tears and Kurt nuzzled against his cheek, needing to feel him closer.

"I missed you. I missed this," Kurt whispered.

Blaine dropped a kiss to Kurt's nose. "I missed it, too. I don't think I know how to live without you anymore," he smiled and looked at him in the eyes. "I'm pretty sure I'm addicted to you."

Kurt chuckled and was about to answer when he noticed the thick steam starting to fill the bathroom. "Oh, your shower! Come on, get in!"

Blaine reluctantly moved away from Kurt's embrace to unwrap the towel he had around his waist, but he stopped. He bit his lip, thoughtful.

"What is it?" Kurt asked, sensing something was wrong. He stroked Blaine's cheekbone softly.

"I…" Blaine took a deep breath, as if he needed to build up some courage to say what he wanted to say. "Would you… would you maybe shower with me?"

Kurt grinned at him and leaned for another kiss, much quicker this time. "Honey, we've had sex plenty of times before. You can ask me to shower with you. It's okay."

Blaine blushed, but rolled his eyes. "Fine. Shower with me, please."

"Sure," Kurt ushered Blaine into the shower before taking his clothes off, dropping them on the floor carelessly. Blaine was already under the water spray when he joined him, hugging him from behind and kissing his shoulder.

Blaine sighed, enjoying the warmth of the water falling over them and the warmth of the body resting against his. "This is nice."

"Very nice," Kurt murmured.

"I could get used to this…"

"You'd better get used to this," Kurt smiled against his shoulder before moving to nibble gently on his earlobe, eliciting a soft moan from Blaine.

"Kurt…" he threw his head back, his mouth searching for Kurt's.

"I haven't slept in my bed since you left," Kurt confessed against his lips. "I just… I couldn't be there without you."

Blaine was suddenly aware of Kurt's cock against the crease of his ass, half-hard and so tempting. He pressed his ass back, trapping it between their bodies. "I couldn't sleep much without you, either."

It started slowly, mostly as a need to feel each other, to really convince their bodies that they were together again. Kurt began thrusting against Blaine's ass as Blaine arched his back, tilting his head to kiss Kurt's jaw.

The water falling on them made it all so slick and perfect that Kurt just couldn't stop. His hands started wandering over Blaine's stomach and chest and he tried not to think about how much weight he had lost again. There would be time for him to get plenty of calories into Blaine. He didn't want to think about the days they had spent apart. He wanted to live in the moment they were sharing now.

"Touch me," Blaine pleaded brokenly. "Please, Kurt, I need you to touch me…"

Kurt wrapped his fingers around the full length of Blaine's cock without giving it a second thought. He stroked him in time with his thrusts and buried his face on the crook of his neck. Blaine's moans were echoing against the bathroom walls, sending shivers down Kurt's spine. He knew they wouldn't last long. It was overwhelming how close they were, how much touching each other pushed them over the edge.

Kurt's cock somehow ended up slipping between Blaine's asscheeks and Kurt groaned against the other man's shoulder. It was so good and not enough at the same time. He wanted to drag Blaine to their bedroom and kiss every inch of him and not stop touching him and pleasuring him until the sun came out and they both fell asleep, exhausted but happy.

It only took the tip of Kurt's cock brushing against his entrance for Blaine to shudder and start coming. Kurt followed almost immediately, painting his back with white spurts that were washed away by the water falling over them in a matter of seconds.

Blaine turned around and his arms, feeling weak but contented, and sighed against Kurt's skin. They simply held onto each other, coming down from their highs, and enjoying having the other back, until the water started getting cold.

Finally, Kurt kissed Blaine's neck and rubbed his hand up and down his back. "Come on, baby. Let's get out."

Blaine complied, although he seemed half asleep already. Kurt chuckled as he helped him out of the shower and wrapped him in a towel before putting one on himself. He toweled Blaine's hair with a third one and then guided him out of the bathroom, not caring about the mess that they had left behind. He would pick up the clothes and all of that in the morning. Now, he just wanted to be with Blaine.

They slipped under the blankets in Kurt's bed together, shifting closer like magnets that couldn't keep apart. Blaine put his head on Kurt's chest and sighed, happily. This was where he belonged. This was where he needed to be.

"Are you hungry?" Kurt asked, threading his fingers through Blaine's curls. "I bet the food I ordered is pretty much cold now, but we could put it in the microwave…"

"Don't wanna move," Blaine muttered sleepily. "Just wanna stay here with you."

Kurt smiled, feeling happier than he had felt in years. "I can do that."

They were both asleep before they even finished intertwining their fingers together.


	10. Chapter 10

The next night, Kurt was dizzy with excitement as he waited for Blaine to come home ( _their home, their home, their home_ ) from work. He had changed his outfit twice already, tried the vase with the roses in different rooms of the apartment to see where they looked better before finally settling them on his night-stand and then he had changed his outfit once again.

The door opened just when Kurt was considering changing his shoes and he forgot all about it as soon as he saw Blaine. Blaine's face lit up with the same excitement and they smiled at each other from across the room before they remembered they were actually _allowed_ to do more than stare, so Blaine closed the door and walked right into Kurt's arms, dropping a few kisses on his neck and jaw before claiming his mouth in his.

"Missed you," he mumbled against his lips and Kurt hummed blissfully.

"Not as much as I missed you," Kurt assured him, throwing his arms around his neck.

Blaine smiled and pecked him quickly on the lips. "Not possible." Another peck, just because he could. "Are you ready to go?"

Kurt took a step back and looked down at himself. "Should I change my shoes?"

"You look beautiful," Blaine answered, sweetly. "Don't change a thing."

Kurt had the feeling Blaine wasn't talking about the shoes or the clothes and it made his heart beat faster and his cheeks blush a bit.

"Then I guess I'm ready to go," Kurt sighed happily.

It was a cold night, but not as cold as it had been a week before. Spring was slowly coming closer. They walked hand in hand down the street, Kurt asking Blaine about his day and Blaine asking Kurt about his.

"Is there somewhere in particular you'd like to go?" Blaine asked as they stood at a corner, waiting for the red light to change to cross the street.

"Whatever you've got planned will be more than fine with me," Kurt kissed his cheek and slipped an arm around his waist as they waited.

Blaine took a deep breath. It was obvious he was nervous about this date, as if he was thinking Kurt wouldn't want to be with him if the place he chose wasn't good enough.

Kurt tucked his face against Blaine's neck and started mouthing at the sensitive skin there, much like he had done before their first kiss. "I love you. I don't care where you take me as long as you're there with me."

"Even if the food sucks?" Blaine tried to joke, not very effectively.

"Even if the food sucks," Kurt assured him, pulling away to smile at him. "Then we'll make fun of the awful chef together and you can buy me coffee on the way home to wash the horrible taste away."

That made Blaine chuckle. He grabbed Kurt's hand again and crossed the street with him.

* * *

There was a small, cozy restaurant almost hidden in a less busy New York City street. Blaine took Kurt there and, before going inside, he hoped it was a good place.

It was almost empty, except for another couple and a lonely man eating in a corner. They chose a nice table by the window. The restaurant seemed taken from a movie. The tablecloths were checkered red and white and the walls were covered with pictures of kids running around parks and beaches. A waitress walked to them, greeted them politely and put two menus and a basket with breadsticks between them before walking away to let them decide what to order.

Blaine observed Kurt's face for any signs of disapproval or discontent as he opened the menu and started reading it. The restaurant looked good, but to Blaine anything looked good, even a crowded, child-infested McDonald's. Kurt, on the other hand, was used to nice places…

"Blaine, honey," Kurt said without averting his eyes from the menu. "You're staring."

"Oh," Blaine cleared his throat and hurried to open his own menu, almost knocking down the basket of breadsticks. "I-I'm sorry."

"Stop freaking out," Kurt smiled at him warmly and offered him his hand, which Blaine took eagerly.

"I've never taken anyone on a date before," Blaine muttered, knowing even his ears were turning red.

"Well, you're doing great so far," Kurt brought Blaine's hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. "And I don't know about you, but the ravioli sounds delicious to me."

Kurt made it so easy for Blaine. As soon as they started talking, reading the menu together, teasing each other about the simplest of things… Blaine forgot about being nervous, about the restaurant maybe not being the best one in town, about whatever he was worried about… he forgot. He just enjoyed being there with Kurt, starting a new life.

"Mm, oh my gosh, Blaine, you _have_ to try this," Kurt practically moaned once they had their food. He speared a ravioli in his fork and offered it to Blaine, who nodded his agreement with wide eyes. "Apparently you're not as bad at choosing restaurants as you thought you were."

"Shut up," Blaine muttered, but he was grinning and blushing and so, so happy he could explode. He had ordered fettuccini Alfredo, which had been one of his favorite foods as a kid and he hadn't eaten any in years. He put a bit on his fork and held it up for Kurt. "This is amazing, too."

Kurt took a bite and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "It is! Okay, we'll be definitely coming back here very often."

Blaine's heart seemed to grow in his chest to fit all the love he fell for Kurt into it.

* * *

Kurt would never forget the huge smile on Blaine's face when the waitress handed him the check and he paid for it, tip included with cash from his wallet.

Kurt promised himself he'd never take the simple things for granted again. Not as long as Blaine kept showing him how some of those simple things were more wonderful than they seemed, if you shared them with the right person.

* * *

It was late and it had gotten cold to enjoy the walk back home, so they hailed a cab and climbed into the backseat, sitting very close together. Kurt threw his arm around Blaine's shoulders and let him rest his head against the crook of his neck.

"Tired?" Kurt murmured against his hair.

"A little," Blaine answered. His hand found Kurt's and he tangled their fingers together. "Thanks for letting me do this. I know it wasn't much…"

"It was perfect," Kurt assured him, sweetly, without a doubt. "The best date I've ever been on."

"Really?" Blaine's eyes lit up, hopeful.

"Of course, silly," Kurt nuzzled their noses together. "I told you. I don't care where we go, I just want to be there with you."

And Blaine finally started to believe it, because… why would Kurt lie? Why would Kurt tell him that if he didn't feel it? Why would he give him love and a home to come to every night if he didn't mean it? Kurt could have any man he wanted to. He was gorgeous, funny, amazing… and he wanted Blaine.

How that had happened, Blaine had no idea, but he knew he was the luckiest guy in the whole world.

And maybe life had punched him in the face several times. Maybe things hadn't gone as he had imagined they would when he was still a kid. But Blaine was sure of one thing: if he had to go through all of that again, knowing he'd find Kurt at the end, he would do it without a second thought.

After looking for so long, he had finally found a home. And it wasn't a _place_. It was a _person_.

Kurt was his home.

"I love you," he whispered to the warm skin of Kurt's neck.

Kurt smiled down at the man he loved and thought about how life had given him a second chance when he didn't know he needed it. "I love you, too."

They held each other tighter, never wanting to let go, and sighed in contentment as they watched New York City passing around them as the cab took them home.


End file.
